


Alone Together

by LordSaucy



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Adult Content, Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Humor, Lemon, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-08
Updated: 2015-05-28
Packaged: 2018-03-29 13:30:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 96,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3898099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordSaucy/pseuds/LordSaucy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I can't promise you any of this will work," Jacob's face lit up and I squeezed his hand a bit harder to cut him off. "Just wait, Jake. I can't promise you anything. I am broken, and I don't know if I can be fixed...but if anyone can, it'd be you. I want to try."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Did You Never Want to Be Alone?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, all! Welcome to my first Twilight fic.
> 
> As noted in the tags, this is an AU. It starts pretty close to cannon, but diverges after a bit, so don't be surprised when that happens. A few things have been changed to fit the story as well, but I won't explain those here, it should be pretty obvious as we go along. 
> 
> It is rated for future language, and adult situations, and lemons down the road. I have quite a bit of this story written, and even more of it planned out. Adding all of the html is going to take me a bit, but I will post chapters once or twice a week, possibly more based on how well this is received. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read! I hope you enjoy!

### Did You Never Want to Be Alone?

* * *

 

I will always remember the first time I kissed Jacob Black.

 

There was that hole the edges quietly seeping into the rest of my being blurring my vision and fogging my thoughts. It never left and it never relented. Unless I was with Jacob.

 

But tonight, one of the most awkward nights of my existence, not even he could keep the wound from opening inch by inch.

 

It was dark in the theater and I was seated, arms folded tightly around my middle between Jacob and Mike Newton. I had chosen a badly rated action movie hoping that the mindless violence and gore would distract me, even make me laugh. Unfortunately, the two open hands waiting on either of my arm rests were doing enough to distract me from the poorly timed puns and spurts of red. One hand tanned and calloused, the other white and smooth both taunted me from my peripherals.

 

I knew both of them were hoping that I would relax an arm and slide a hand gracefully into one of their respective palms. I knew that their hand would close around mine, keeping it there for the rest of the film and that it wouldn't be relinquished without a great deal of effort.

 

I knew that whomever I chose would grin victoriously, and the one left wanting would be hurt.

 

I hurt enough for the three of us.

 

As I gazed unseeingly at the screen I noticed Mikes hand slip from the arm rest. I turned my head slightly and noticed that even in the dim lighting of the theater he looked green. His eyes bulged slowly as his hand covered his mouth. He didn't say a word as he bolted down the isle to the door.

 

I heard a scoff next to me I looked at Jacob as he shook his head in bemusement. I got up to move after Mike and noticed that Jacob followed instantaneously.

 

"No, Jake, stay," I whispered trying to ignore the glare of the couple behind us.

  
"Not a chance, Bells."

  
I sighed and hurried myself out of the view of the other viewers.

  
Once we stepped into the hall I scanned for Mike and came up empty. The only movement was the slightly swaying men's room door. I looked to Jacob for help as I usually did. Now it was his turn to sigh as he walked into the men's bathroom.

  
I paced for a moment and then took a seat on the bench in a little nook in the hallway. My arms found their home around my middle as they so often did since Edward had left. Without Jacob next to me, and with no distraction in the hallway to speak of I was left alone with my thoughts. That was dangerous. I settled for counting the squiggles on the theater floor.

  
Twenty squiggles in, I heard the door to the men's room open and peeked my head out of the nook. Jacob caught my eye a small grin on his face as he neared.

  
"You know, if you're looking for dating prospects, this guy should be disqualified. He's such a marshmallow." He sat. "You need a man that laughs at the gore that make boys like him puke."

  
"Well I'll let you know if I find that someone," I shook my head and looked back to the carpet.

  
I felt a heavy weight across my hunched shoulders, and the heat of his body as he pressed himself closer to me. I rolled my shoulders back straightening myself and his arm dropped to the seat behind me.

  
"Jake, don't-"

  
"Now hold up for a second, Bells," I bristled, waiting for an onslaught and he put his hands up and leaned back a bit waiting for me to relax. I glanced at him and he didn't look upset by my rejection in the slightest. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to. Just let me say what I need to say and then if I'm wrong correct me."

  
I nodded once looking back to the squiggles on the carpet.

  
"Bells...you like me."

  
I nodded again and shut my eyes. I knew where this was going and I wasn't ready to have this conversation. Not here. Not now. Not while the pain was slowly seeping into my chest cavity. I needed him like I needed air. He was the only one that kept the pain away, or to a bearable level. He made me smile, and laugh, and he always had open arms for me after a particularly bad night. My brows furrowed with the fear that if this conversation didn't turn out the way he wanted that Jacob-my Jacob-would leave me, like _he_ did.

  
"Did you hear what I said?" I blinked and turned to look at him. My eyes must have been glazed because he shook his head and grinned. "Bella, I was saying: You like me. More than that kid in there puking his guts out. More than the other kids at your school."

  
"How do you know?" I cut in.

  
"You never talk about them. You spend all your time with me on the rez. You don't even try to see anyone else, Bells—that has to mean I'm your favorite. Well, second favorite...but that doesn't matter. I'm here. I know you might not be ready for anything more, but I want you to know that you're my favorite too, Bells. I will always put you first, and I will never, _ever_ hurt you. I'll always be there for you when you need me. I'm prepared to wait. No matter how long it takes."

  
My eyes widened. He all but declared his love for me. I quickly looked back to the carpet and let his words sink in. His words swirled in my head almost so quickly it didn't make sense. But I had to be quick, or I would hurt him.

  
He wasn't wrong. He was my favorite person that was still in my life. His smiles and his bear hugs made the pain go away and he made it so easy to breathe again. I was rarely doubled over on myself when in his presence.

  
It would be so easy with Jacob.

  
Still, I couldn't hide from the fact that I was barely keeping it together. I was nowhere near ready for a serious relationship even if it was with Jake. If I jumped headlong into a relationship it wouldn't be fair.

  
It would be one sided, and I would hurt him. That was something I never want to do. I would keep my pain to myself.

  
_But_ , a voice creeped into the back of my head. It wasn't the velvet soft voice that I have been so desperately searching for, for the past few months, but the voice of my mother. The sound was optimistic and lively and made me so desperately miss her. _But what if you just tried?_

  
Try? The idea seemed wrong at first. All the 'what if's' of possibly hurting him wound themselves in the squiggles of the carpeting. Everything that could go wrong played before my vacant eyes.

  
I bit my lip and another thought pushed through: _But what if it works?_

  
It had become such a habit of mine the past few months to always think of the negatives that I hadn't considered the alternative. What if it did work? What if I allowed him to slowly stitch me back together? I would be blunt and honest that I could make no promises as to where this would go. I would tell him that we would have to be very slow and careful. I would tell him that I may just well be eternally broken, and that despite his best efforts he may never fix me.

  
The thought became more enticing as I allowed myself to fantasize about being whole, and happy with Jacob in LaPush. We would walk on First Beach hand in hand, and sit on our driftwood log and watch the stars late into the night. Then he would walk me back to my truck and kiss me through the window and watch me as I drove off back to Charlie's.

  
I became aware of a warmth under my hand as I thought. I squeezed slightly and it squeezed back. The action took me by surprise and I turned and looked at Jacob who was watching me quietly and ever patient. He gave me a small smile when our eyes met.

  
I looked at him and took everything in: how his face still had some of its childhood roundness. How his eyes sparkled as he watched me watch him. How his white teeth flashed against his russet skin. How his hair flowed like a curtain of black silk just past his shoulders.

  
I had told him that he was kind-of beautiful once. I had meant it then but looking at him, even in this dimly lit hallway, he was very beautiful, and he was right. He was my favorite.

  
The bench squeaked as I turned to face him, drawing one leg up so my foot was hanging off the edge of the bench, and my knee was against the wall. His look was quizzical, and he was about to say something but I shook my head and his mouth closed again.

  
I squeezed his hand and took a deep breath:

  
"I can't promise you any of this will work," his face lit up and I squeezed his hand a bit harder how to cut him off. "Just wait, Jake. I can't promise you anything. I am broken, and I don't know if I can be fixed...but if anyone can, it'd be you. I want to _try._ It would have to be slow, and it would have to be at my pace-"

  
"Of course," he nodded in agreement with a face splitting grin.

  
"So...we try?" I already knew his answer.

  
"Yes."

  
I nodded and then paused. I needed to know right now if this would work, before trying got too far and everything got too deep. I needed to know if being with him would break me further.

  
"Don't move," I whispered. He stilled, his eyes curious. I leaned forward and his eyes widened at my unexpected action. "Please just stay still, Jake," I begged. I saw him square his shoulders as if he was about to head off into a lunchroom brawl.

  
I closed the distance slowly, changing my mind a hundred times in the process. I became aware of everything now. How his scent was that of the woods. That his bottom lip betrayed his anticipation by quivering ever so slightly. The sharp intake of breath as I closed my eyes and the last inch between us.

  
I pressed my lips lightly to his and waited for the hole in my chest to rip even further.

  
Nothing.

  
Not removing my lips from his I pressed a little harder. He pressed back in return, and my bottom lip slipped between his. I was vaguely aware that his hand was squeezing mine.

  
No pain.

  
I was joyous in my discovery. In the very least, kissing Jacob didn't widen the hole. I felt a lot more at ease with the arrangement of trying. Something might finally just be working out in my favor.

  
I pulled back, my cheeks slightly pink at the new intimacy I just thrust into our friendship. I looked down at our hands, still intertwined and smiled shyly. I could feel his gaze on me but I couldn't bring myself to look at him just yet.

  
"I like trying," he said simply and I could hear the grin in his voice.

  
I laughed and soon after he laughed with me and for a moment we weren't in the movie theater hallway but in LaPush in his garage like we had been every day for the previous few months. This was normal. I hadn't ruined a thing. Maybe this could work.

  
We were still laughing when the door to the men's room opened again and Mike appeared, still with a green pallor. I stopped laughing immediately and shifted so I was facing front again. Jake kept a hold on my hand as he spoke.

  
"I think I need to go home," he looked at me and then at Jacob. Then his eyes dropped to our hands and his hand went to his mouth, but after audibly swallowing he managed to keep it down.

  
I stood finally freeing my hand from Jacob's and went to help Mike out of the theater.

  
"Too much for you," I heard Jacob quip from behind us.

  
"I was feeling sick before the movie started," Mike answered through his hand.

  
"Just don't puke in my car," Jacob responded. "Hold on," he ran to the concession strand and asked for an empty popcorn bucket. After one look at Mike the girl at the counter thrust it at Jacob and asked for us to leave.

  
The drive home was quiet and cold. We rolled the windows of Jacob's rabbit down so that the icy air would alleviate Mike's nausea as he clutched desperately to the popcorn bucket.

  
I shivered in my seat. "Cold?" The question came from my left. I looked at Jacob with a quirked brow.

  
"You're not?"

  
He laughed, "Nope I'm fine," I didn't object when he slid an arm around my shoulders.

  
"You sure you're not getting sick, too?" I reached over and put a hand to his forehead. "Jesus, Jake, you're burning up!"

  
"I feel fine, Bells." He gave me a sidelong glance.

  
"Just tell me if you start to feel sick."

  
"Sure, sure."

  
Mike groaned and puked into the popcorn bucket. I tried not to heave at the sound. I was finally glad to have the windows open so the smell wouldn't consume me. With Jacob's arm over my shoulders I wasn't so cold anymore. This was acceptable.

  
When we got to my place, I took Mike's keys and drove him home in his Suburban. Jake followed dutifully behind to take me back once he was dropped off.

  
The ride back to my place was quiet but comfortable. I gave Jake a glance every now and then just to make sure he wasn't starting to sweat. Even sitting next to me now with space between us I could feel the heat rolling off of him.

  
He parked on the street in front of my house and I finally turned to him. "You can come in if you want," I offered.

  
Jacob shook his head, both of his hands still on the wheel. "I'm starting to feel weird. I think I might have what that kid did," he shook his head and then looked at me. "I hope you don't get sick because of..."

  
I grinned, "don't think it was worth it?"

  
I didn't expect him to backpedal so hard. He shook his head violently, and finally stammered out: "No-that's not what I meant, I-...it was so worth it."

  
I laughed and reached out, my hands found the side of his head as I pulled him to his right. I planted my lips softly on his forehead which was hotter than before. I released him and frowned, "You should get home, Jake, before it really hits. Just call me when you get home so I know you didn't have a fit and crash or something."

  
He nodded and looked back out the windshield and his body quaked for a moment.

  
"Bye Jake."

  
"Bye, Bells."

  
I got out of the car and headed to the porch and grabbed the key from under the mat. I heard the muffled sound of sportscasters on the flat screen, though that didn't tell me if Charlie was actually awake or not.

  
I got my answer when I opened the door.

  
"Bella, you're home early. How was your night?"

  
I walked to stand in the entry to the living room. Charlie was sprawled out across the couch watching baseball, a beer resting on his stomach. He turned to look at me, waiting for my answer.

  
"Not great. Mike got sick during the movie, and Jacob started getting sick on the ride home. Some stomach thing is going around."

  
"Shame," Charlie frowned. "You feeling alright?"

  
"I feel perfectly fine," I shrugged. "I should go get ready for bed. Will you let me know if Jake calls, he's supposed to when he gets home."

  
"Sure, Bella." With that he turned back to the flat screen.

  
I went up the stairs and headed straight to the bathroom to shower. It would give me time to think. I just kissed my best friend, in a romantic way. Things were going to be different now, and I had made them that way. I had set us on a course that more likely than not would lead to hurt feelings and possibly an ended friendship.

  
_But he knows it's not for sure_ , I thought as I rinsed the conditioner out of my hair. Jacob would just be so happy that we were trying that he would forget about everything else. _I could always remind him_. Yes. I'll make sure he doesn't forget. I'll keep it fair.

  
I felt intensely calmer as I stepped out of the shower. I headed into my room, and towel dried my hair before changing into some sweats and a tank top and proceeded down the stairs to see if Jacob called.

  
"Nothing yet," Charlie called over the back of the couch.

  
I frowned and headed into the kitchen and sure enough—Charlie didn't just zone out and miss it, there was no flashing light alerting me to a missed message. I picked up the phone and dialed. I was convinced I was going to get his voice mail when finally Billy answered.

  
"Hello?" His voice was strained and I was immediately worried.

  
"Hey Billy, it's Bella. I was just wondering if Jake made it home okay. He was supposed to call me when he got home." I twirled the phone cord around my fingers as I waited for a response.

  
"He's...here. He's too sick to call," His tone sounded short—clipped.

  
"Is he alright? I could come down tomorrow and help out?"

  
"No-no, that's alright, Bella. Stay there." He sounded irritated.

  
"Okay," my voice came back through the phone tiny and sad.

  
"He'll call you when he's better." Click.

  
I blinked a few times and put the phone back on the cradle. Billy rarely got upset. Jacob must be really sick. I forced myself out of the kitchen before I lost my cool and called again. "Night, Dad," I called out as I went up the stairs.

  
"Night, kid."

  
I shut my bedroom door and looked at my bed. I had been hoping that I could go to sleep as confident Bella who had stepped out of the shower not just ten minutes before. Now I was going to bed with a pit in my stomach in addition to the hole in my chest that was slowly beginning to radiate pain as my separation from Jacob seemed finalized at least for the next few days.

I crawled under the covers and turned out the light, and curled into a ball and waited for the pain to spread. I hoped against hope that tonight it wouldn't be so bad. I thought back to the theater and how happy Jacob had been after I kissed him. That helped a bit. So to keep the pain at bay I replayed the scenario picking out every minute detail that I could, over and over becoming increasingly more comfortable with trying every time I did.

  
And so I drifted off to sleep, no longer filled with fear of pain, but optimistic that somehow trying would work.

 


	2. Youngbloods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob's POV from dropping Bella off onward. Goes through his first phase, and is welcomed into the pack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, my dears. This is where the my story and the cannon begin to diverge a bit more. I have decided, to keep things interesting for myself, to alternate POV between Bella and Jacob every chapter. So this chapter, being Jacob's will be my first time writing him.   
> I hope that you all like how he is written. It will probably take me another chapter or so to really get into the character. Same goes for Bella. There's going to be big changes with her coming up soon, as well. 
> 
> Blah, anyway, here we go with chapter two! Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing. Blah, blah, blah.

**Youngbloods**

I drove away from Bella's house feeling tense. I had no idea why. She had kissed me only an hour before, something I had only ever dreamed would happen. It wasn't perfect, she hadn't confessed her love for me, and she hadn't offered to be my girlfriend. All she promised was that she would try.

I was happy with that.

Still, something gnawed at me. I found myself glancing off into the woods on either side of the road, almost paranoid. I felt like I was being watched. My hands clenched on the steering wheel. _You're being stupid, Jacob. Relax._

I couldn't relax. I shook so hard that the car deviated from the center of the lane, almost sending me to the shoulder. I righted it and continued thankful that I was almost home. Maybe I was really getting sick?

I pulled the Rabbit up next to my work shed, taking a moment to breathe. I felt like I had run a marathon and was beyond being able to catch my breath. The clearing around my house was dead silent as I opened the door and slid a shaky leg to place it on the ground. The silence made my growing sense of unease worse. All I wanted was to get through the front door and get to bed.

I saw a flash of light from the house as my dad peeked out of the curtain wondering why I was taking so long. I gave him a small wave, and stood.

Bad idea.

I felt a snap as my left knee gave way and I collapsed onto the ever damp ground. It was so sudden the only noise I made was an 'umph' as I fell forward onto my hands. I clutched at the pine needles and leaves desperately as the pain set in. I let out a yelp, and looked up to see that my father had rolled himself out onto the porch. His forehead was creased with worry and...resignation? I looked at my bad leg and immediately regretted it. My knee was bent completely in the opposite direction. I shut my eyes as I shook. _How the hell did you do this, idiot?_ I squeezed my eyes shut for a minute while I collected my thoughts.

I reached out to the still open door of the Rabbit and hoisted myself to stand on my good leg. If I could just make it to the couch, Dad could call the doctor and everything would be fine. I had about thirty yards to cross just to get to the porch. I hopped back out of the way of the door and braced myself against the side of the car. I shut the door with my left hand, and after steeling myself for the pain to follow I began hopping towards my house.

Every time my foot hit the ground, pain shot through my left leg causing me to wince. I had made it only ten feet when my other knee snapped backward. I dropped to the ground, unable to catch myself this time and face planted into the dirt. I screamed as a tremor rocked through my body sending more jolts of pain down my legs.

I don't know how long I laid there and screamed. I screamed for my dad, I screamed for a doctor, but mostly I just screamed without any words. When I looked up again, my dad wasn't alone. A tall dark figure stood next to him almost eclipsing the porch light. His arms were folded over his broad chest and he wore only cut off shorts. A set of piercing eyes watched me as I clawed at the dirt, trying to find something to grip to ease the pain. My hair fell in front of my face as I tried with just my arms to get nearer to my father.

"Dad," I cried out and looked up between the strands of my hair. He looked like he was almost in as much pain as I was. "Please," my whole body shook as I reached out for him.

That seemed to break whatever trance he was in as he watched me writhe on the dirt. He put his hands to the wheels of his chair and was about to move when the figure put a hand on his shoulder. Then I heard the sound of Sam Uley's voice, stern and emotionless:

"Don't."

Sam _fucking_ Uley.

I hated Sam Uley with every fiber of my being. Not only did he walk around LaPush with his nose in the air like he was better than everyone and everything, but he had stolen Embry and added him into his creepy cult. My supposed best friend didn't even speak to me anymore and every time I had tried talking to him he just looked at Sam for permission before walking off.

What was worse is over the past few weeks I had begun to feel like they were following me. Sam's cult would always be off in the distance no matter where I was occasionally looking at me like they knew that soon I would be one of them.

Now here Sam stood telling my father that he couldn't help me.

My eyes narrowed and another shake rattled my entire body, I screamed again but this time it was in pure unfiltered rage. It was becoming hard to form a coherent thought. The only thing I could hear was the sound of my heart as it beat rapidly in my chest. Sweat dripped down into my eyes which immediately shut, and I felt a rip as I burst out of my own skin.

When my eyes opened I searched for my father, but I was met with the awning of our porch. I looked down and saw him looking up at me, his face impassive. When I glanced at Sam, he had a ghost of a smile on his lips. I growled, and then immediately stopped. Since when did I growl?

I looked around, I was too tall—this wasn't right. My gaze fell and I held out what I thought was a hand. I was met with a rusty brown paw twice the size of a serving platter. _Shit. Shit. What the fuck?_ I backed up now realizing I was on all fours, a whine rose from my throat and filled the eerie silence of the clearing.

My father's eyes looked sad, as he watched me, backing up slowly out of the view of the porch's light. Sam watched wary, waiting for me to make another move. "It's okay, Jacob. Calm down," his voice cut through my whine like a knife. "We will explain everything if you just calm yourself down."

I shook my head and backed up a few feet at a time. I wanted to get away. But where would I go? Sure I knew the woods on the reservation like the back of my hand, but once I was in the woods, then what? I would still be a giant monster. I would still scare the shit out of any person that came across me. _Normal people_. I thought with a snort. Eight minutes ago I was a normal person.

_Bella_. I immediately sat, another low whine escaping me. How would I tell Bella? What would she say?

_You can't, Jake_ , Embry's voice invaded my thoughts. I jumped up and spun looking for him. I couldn't see him anywhere. That's when I realized the voice was coming from inside my head.

_What?_ I continued to look off into the woods and saw two glints deep in the forest about eight feet off the ground. They blinked.

_You can't tell Bella about this,_ his response was guarded, _she's not one of us, Jacob._

_You could hurt her,_ Sam joined the conversation. I turned back to the porch and saw a black ten foot tall wolf standing next to my father just off the edge of the porch. Sam's shorts were folded on the floor. I growled and began advancing. The black wolf's jowls rose over its teeth and at the same time I heard Sam:

_Sit_ down _and listen, Jacob._

I froze in mid-step. Sam's order reverberated though me. It was the tone of voice my mother had when I had done something wrong and I was going to catch it if I didn't listen, and listen quick. But it was more than that. It had such a finality to it that I found as much as I didn't want to sit, much less at the behest of Sam Uley, that I was sitting in the middle of my front yard.

_It must be apparent to you by now that the Quileute legends are true,_ Sam began. _Our grandfathers carried this burden before us, and now it is our job to protect our lands. The cold ones are nearby and we need to keep our people safe._

I rolled my eyes. _Seriously, Sam? Cold ones?_

_They're real,_ Embry's thoughts sounded more excited and tinged with anticipation. _It's our job to kick their asses if they step out of line._

I flinched as another giant wolf stepped out of the darkness to join us. It was a silvery gray with dark splotches along its back. It sat to my right about ten feet away, looking at me. Its eyes shown with the same anticipation Embry's voice had.

_Embry?_ I tilted my head, and then glanced quickly at the black wolf that I guessed was Sam before turning to the gray one.

The gray wolf's mouth opened in what I could only assume was a grin. _Yeah, sorry, Jake,_ Embry's voice filled my head again, _I didn't want to disappear on you and Quil but this wolf thing is on a need to know basis and you didn't need to know, yet._

_I'm sure you understand why he couldn't speak to you, Jacob_ , Sam's bass voice cut in.

_I'm still stuck on the cold ones,_ I looked between the two of them.

_The Cullens._ Sam's tone dripped with malice.

My eyes widened in surprise. Bella's ex and his family?

_Yes,_ Sam responded. I left my gaze on him. _Their appearance back in the area is what caused myself, Embry, and the others to change._

_But they're gone,_ I huffed, _they've been gone for months!_

_Once you've changed there's no going back, Jake,_ Embry's paws shifted. _We're stuck. In it for life._

For life? A new pulse of anger shot through me. I was a monster because of that dick that left my Bella in the state she was in. Everything was his fault. Her state and mine. Now because of him I had goddamned Sam Uley telling me I couldn't even see her again.

_Are you sure I can't see her_ , my question was so quiet I wasn't even sure they would hear me.

_Our changes are slave to our emotions. Anger mostly. If she were to make you angry, especially so soon after the change, you could phase and hurt her. As you've just experienced phasing is not an easy process, more so when you are blinded by emotion. You've seen Emily's scars._ Sam looked down at his feet and suddenly I saw what he saw. Leah Clearwater had shown up to give him a verbal lashing about breaking her heart and leaving her for her cousin Emily. Sam had just gone through the change a couple weeks before and wasn't fully in control yet. Leah set him off, and Emily who was standing by his side was caught by his massive claws that tore her flesh from her hairline to her jaw, forever marring her flesh.

I felt the pain, and the guilt Sam felt immediately. I never wanted to chance that with Bella. I didn't think I'd ever be able to forgive that transgression seeing as how Sam still hadn't forgiven himself.

_Blame the leeches,_ Embry said, _its what I do. Puts my anger right where I need it to be. Makes it easier for all involved._

I nodded. He was right. It was the Cullen's fault. There was nothing I wanted to do more than tear that asshole Edward limb from limb. My body shivered as I visualized sinking my teeth into his flesh and pulling him apart as easy as ripping the wings off a fly.

_It's not that easy,_ Sam interjected pulling me from my daydream. _They are tough. Fast, though we're faster. Their skin is hard, and they fight hard._

My ears perked up. _You got a Cullen?_

_No,_ my ears dropped at Sam's answer. _There are two different bloodsuckers in the area. Not Cullens. They've been roaming between our lands and Alaska for a couple months now. They're testing. Looking for something, though what I don't know. Haven't caught a fresh trail in a day or two, but they'll be back._

I rocked side to side. I wanted to get up—to pace. But Sam's orders kept me seated. If I couldn't get a Cullen right now, I would take the next best thing until one of them showed their face again.

_Can't_ , Embry sighed. _Cullens made a treaty with your grandfather. We don't hunt them as long as they stay off our lands and don't hurt a human._

I whined. _Not hurt a human? That can't be right—vampires drink human blood!_

_Not these ones, Jake_ , Embry snorted. _They're 'vegetarians'._

_What?_ My tone flat and disbelieving.

_They feed on animal blood. So far they've stuck to that and until they spill a drop of human blood the treaty stands._

I growled and looked away off into the woods and saw two more sets of glinting eyes.

_Jared and Paul,_ Sam stated without any further information.

_So lets go find the other ones,_ I strained to stand but couldn't, guessing that since Sam was the leader and now I had unwittingly become a follower that I had no say if Sam gave an order.

_In time. First you need to learn to listen to your new senses and what they're telling you. Then you need to practice attacking in your wolf form. I am not sending you out there to patrol until you have your feet under you. Is that clear?_ Again the finality of his words sunk in, and I knew that it would be a while until I got the chance to engage one of the bloodsuckers.

I huffed and nodded.

The week flashed by quickly. I spent most of my time, due to my new found temper, in wolf form. It seemed like the only time I wasn't a wolf was when I was sleeping or had finally calmed down enough to eat.

I changed a lot physically as well, shooting up a few inches since my first transformation. I was now a full six foot three. Any trace of baby fat I had disappeared and I was left with lean muscle covering my body which, by the looks I got from the norms on the reservation, was desired by many. The day after my first transformation I decided to cut off all my hair. Apparently the length of your hair in human form factored into your fur length in wolf form. I was tired of the others calling me 'Cousin It'. It pissed me off.

Being so angry had its upsides. For one it gave me more time to practice what Sam wanted me to practice. He had the best control over himself so most afternoons and some mornings were spent in a clearing in the middle of the woods sparring. At first he put me down pretty easily, but as days passed I was giving him a run for his money. When we would finally phase back he would clap a hand on my shoulder and congratulate me on my progress which I was told was a lot quicker than the others.

I was getting used to my new wolf senses. Both in wolf form and out I could smell things from far away, which to my dismay was only being used to see if Emily had cooked anything for us. My hearing was a lot better as well, and I could move through the dense forest without making so much as a sound.

There was, however, one big downside to being a wolf. No Bella. Thinking about her usually lead me to think of her asshole bloodsucker ex-boyfriend which caused me to phase. So I did my best to not think about her.

That wasn't as easy as I'd hoped. Bella, being the dutiful friend she was, called my house every day to see if I was feeling better. Dad fielded the calls when he was home, lying to her through his teeth saying I was still sick, and not to come down here. I'd call when I was feeling better. I had taken to walking out of the house whenever the phone rang, or whenever dad answered and her anxious voice filtered through the handset.

I wasn't going to make any progress if I couldn't get any peace. Little things were making me angry enough that I almost phased, I didn't need the added pressure of Bella's constant calls making it worse.

It was Friday morning when she called again. Dad reached for the phone, but I put my hand on the handset and grabbed it from him. He looked at me worriedly, but I guess he saw my need to end this once and for all so he rolled back, and pivoted, doing his best to give me some privacy.

For her safety, and for the sake of my sanity I had to break one of my promises I had made the week before to keep the others. I was putting her first, but I could not be there for her anymore. I was going to hurt my best friend, my Bella, to make sure she never had to see the side of me that Emily saw with Sam.

I put the phone up to my ear. "Hello? Billy? Jake?" She sounded more anxious than yesterday when I had walked out.

"What," my tone was flat and lifeless.

"Holy shit, Jake, where have you been? Are you okay? Is it safe to come down and see you?"

"I'm fine, and no." I could hear a sharp intake of breath on her end.

"Wh-why not?"

"Because I don't want you to." I let my anger seep into my voice. My hand gripped the corner of the wall cracking slightly as my hand grasped for something to keep me grounded. _Keep control, Jacob._

"You don't want me?" She sounded lost, and very, very hurt.

"No. Just don't come here anymore, Bella."

"Okay." Her voice sounded broken. I convulsed and muttered 'bye' before I slammed the phone back on the cradle and ran out the door. I heard my dad call my name, but it was too late. I phased as soon as I was off the porch and ran into the woods.

I was no better than that leech.

_It's for the best, man,_ Jarred interrupted my thoughts.

_Leave me alone_ , I snarled back and continued running. The trees whizzed past in a blur of brown and green. I had no idea where I was going but I wanted to get far away to be alone with my thoughts. Maybe if I ran to Canada they wouldn't be able to hear me.

_Don't leave the reservation,_ Sam warned, _You shouldn't go out on your own yet._

Well that idea was out. I stopped running and decided to pace.

I had gone back on almost all my promises, but it was the only way to keep her safe. I had to accept that. Maybe not today, but eventually. She would be upset, but she still had Charlie, and maybe my absence would push her to try and make more of an effort with her friends at school. As much of a marshmallow as that Newton kid was, at this point he was definitely a better choice than me. I growled.

_Enough. Time to train_ , Sam's order came down like a bag of bricks. I stood still for a moment, breathing deeply, trying to remove the last traces of my conversation with Bella from my mind. The less Sam kicked my ass sparring, the sooner I could get my teeth on one of those filthy leeches.

I had done it. It had taken me three days after my phone call with Bella but I finally beat Sam in a sparring match. I was now able to patrol with the others and hunt for bloodsuckers.

The wind blew through my fur as I ran around the North Eastern perimeter of the reservation. I kept my head low breathing deeply trying to concentrate on picking up any trace of the sweet rotting corpse smell that Sam and the others had described to me through the pack link. We had been up all night running. Embry and Jarred had gone out of our lands to the North to see if we'd have any luck there. Paul was with me, and Sam was in the middle waiting to lend aid to whomever needed it first.

Without the family of leeches around our area extended to the town of Forks. I shifted to the left and headed closer to town, Paul shadowed me and soon we were running parallel with the highway that was Forks' main road. I was just past the mechanic's shop when a sickly sweet smell stopped me in my tracks.

_I got it_ , my triumphant thought boomed through the pack psyche.

I sprung forward ignoring the chatter of the others as the scent took me across the highway. It was just past sunrise and no one was on the road to see me make it across in one leap. I headed back into the woods and zig-zagged through the trees following the scent closely. I didn't realize where I was headed until I saw the house across the street.

Bella's house was dark, the porch light was off, and both the cruiser and the truck were missing from the front. _Shit. Shit shit shit._ I skidded to a stop, and waited for Paul to catch up.

_What's up?_ Paul sidled up next to me and glanced over.

_That's Bella's house,_ my panicked thought entered everyone's minds and I vaguely heard Embry and Jarred say they were turning around.

What was I going to do? Bella and Charlie weren't home so surely they weren't in immediate danger. If one of them had been I would've ran right through the front window still phased and hunted for the leech in my wolf form. I couldn't do that and destroy their house seeing as how there was no pressing need to do so. It was a Monday. Bella was probably headed to school, and Charlie usually left this early for work.

A tremor rocked my body at the 'what ifs' of either of them being home. Paul nudged me gently to bring me back to the present as Sam strode up next to us. He stared at the house for a long minute before he glanced at me. _You need to go in there. Human._

_What? What if a bloodsucker is in there waiting?_ I shifted my weight barely conscious that I was doing so.

_If you can take me down, you stand a good chance alone with one of them for as long as it'll take for Paul and I to get to you. If they were just passing through the area there's no need to go in breaking their house, Jacob. Just cross the road and follow the scent. If you have to go in the house, go in, but if not just phase back and we'll continue._

Sam, as usual, was right. It took a minute for me to calm myself enough to phase back, but once I did I grabbed my sweatpants that were tied around my right rear leg and slid them on.

The icy road would have stung if I wasn't a toasty one-oh-eight degrees all the time. Still I walked like it was burning me. I had to know where that leech went and I had to know now. I shuddered again, clenching my fists as the trail took me to where I knew it would go. Right to her front door. I reached under the doormat and grabbed the worn silver key. It smelled like metal and leech.

Swiftly I jammed the key into the doorknob and turned it, opening the door wide so Paul, or one of the smaller wolves could slip through with minimal difficulty if things went south. To my dismay the door creaked like I was in a horror movie as it slowly widened revealing the dark innards of the house.

I growled—the bloodsucker had been in here. We must have just missed him. I strode in more confident due to the anger building in my gut and began to track. I walked slowly through the house eyes narrowed, scanning for any sign of movement. There was nothing but the ticking of the clock below the flat screen.

I made my way in a circuit around the first floor of the house. It had stopped in every room before heading up the stairs. The smell was significantly stronger up there due to the lack of space. I opened the door to sniff inside Charlie's room. This seemed to be the only room the leech hadn't entered.

I paused on my way to my final stop. Bella's room. I ground my teeth together as I tried to prepare myself for what I might find in there. Her room wasn't nearly big enough to contain me in my wolf form, but if I had to wreck her room to save her I would.

I opened the door and stepped in eyes wide at the disarray that met my scrutiny. Her room was trashed. Obviously the bloodsucker had been looking for something. Her blankets and clothes were tossed everywhere, and her pillow was missing. Growling low in my chest I tried to figure out where it had spent the most time. I ended up at her bed, my eyes narrowing into slits.

If it had been any earlier it would have caught her sleeping. It would have harmed her and I would have yet another reason to grieve.

Her curtains fluttered as a breeze rolled into the room stirring the air and its scent further. I wondered if she had left her window open or if the leech had used it as an escape route. I shut the window being careful not to break it before bounding down the stairs and out the back door. I stripped naked, and made sure to re-tie my sweats to my leg before I phased to share what I knew.

_It trashed her room, and took her pillow. It has her scent._ A chorus of growls responded as I walked around the side of the house to see if I could pick up a scent again. It wasn't hard. Either out of blood lust or stupidity the leech didn't seem to be trying to hide its scent. It had headed into the woods just outside her house.

_I'll go with you_ , Jarred came loping up beside me. He was a capable fighter, although he hadn't been able to pin Sam while training he was the next best compared to myself. If there was one bloodsucker, Jarred and I would be able to take it down, two on one.

Sam agreed. _I don't think there is more than one near by. I haven't caught the others scent in quite a while, so you both should be fine. If you have to engage it do so, but if the trail gets cold come home. We all need food and rest._ Embry and Paul whined. _They_ will _get a head start on that._ _I want you home in no more than an hour._

Jarred and I agreed begrudgingly. I was to amped to sleep, and so was he. This is the closest he'd been to catching one in weeks, and the first time ever for myself. We darted off into the woods, heads low to the ground tracking. It burned my nostrils being this close to the scent but I needed to be sure I caught it. I needed to make sure Bella was safe.

We had gone about two miles when the din of the others' thoughts cut off one by one as they phased back into their human selves. It was nice being in my wolf form and not having to compete with the others to hear my own thoughts. I could let my thoughts drift without being made fun of for my constant preoccupation.

_We'll make sure she's safe, man_ , Jarred's thoughts invaded my mind. _No one wants to deal with the aftermath if something happened to her._

_Shut it,_ I snapped back and then paused. The first part of his comment almost escaped me. _Thanks Jarred._

_No problem, Jake_ , the brown wolf to my left responded. _If anything like this was happening to Kim I'd flip my shit._

_That's not the same and you know it. You imprinted._

_You might as well have,_ Jarred laughed. _You think about her almost as much as I think of Kim. I'm surprised you don't run into trees with some of the things going through your head! I know Sam has a gag order on you and won't let you talk to her even if you wanted to, but I guess even Alpha's orders can stop...wishful thinking._ I realized Jarred was trying to choose his words carefully to make sure I didn't stop tracking and lunge at him instead. I was thankful for it, if not embarrassed.

Pack consciousness was awesome when hunting. I could see what the others saw if I wanted to, and I could intake sensory information from their memories. Under any other circumstances it sucked. Having everything you wanted private out in the open for your brothers to see was a pain in the ass, especially when you know that you would be getting shit for it if not immediately. I tried as hard as I could not to think about her, not only because it made it difficult to control when I phased, but because I didn't want to share her with them. She was my best friend, and up until a little over a week ago I thought she would be able to

be something more.

Not thinking didn't always work though. It's like the default white noise in my brain was Bella's sweet voice saying we'd try, accompanied by the image of us kissing in the movie theater. The guys had seen it so many times that they often preempted Bella's line in their own high pitched mocking tones ruining the moment and bringing me back to the present with a snarl.

_Guess not_ , my thought was dull and lifeless.

_Wish it did?_

_Yes_.

We had made it about eight more miles before the trail went cold. As per Sam's orders we turned and headed for home. Food definitely sounded good. My stomach growled loudly and Jarred barked a laugh.

We were about three miles out when I felt another presence join us. I immediately only felt resentment and...rage? I took advantage of the pack mind and tried to see what the other saw.

Stumbling back mostly over her own feet, Bella was trying to get away from one of my brothers. She clutched her right wrist to her chest. Her hand was swollen and red. Her eyes

were wide and dilated at what I was sure was a snarling, snapping dark gray wolf.

_Bitch! You think you can fucking punch me?_ Paul spit out between fits of growls and snarls.

I sped up my pace leaving Jarred in the dust. I was still new and controlling my temper, so it made sense for me to be hotheaded and snap at any little thing. Paul however was like that before his transformation and it had only gotten worse from there.

_Don't you_ dare _fucking touch her_ , I warned closing the distance between us.

I never got a response, only more growls as he watched Bella who was now frozen in fear.

I burst through the treeline causing a chain of events to happen almost simultaneously. First my presence made Paul crouch. Bella, seeing a new movement from Paul did the most stupid thing she could have done. She turned and tried to run.

She had only gotten a few feet when she finally turned her gaze away from the ground, intent on not falling and saw me running at her with my teeth bared. Her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head.

I slipped for just a second allowing myself to focus in on her. Warm chocolate pools that gave everything away instantly. Her cheeks were red against her creamy white skin, and her hair was a mess from the constant breeze. Even in terror she was a goddess.

That second was all it took for my world to shift. I saw how everything was connected. Faint glimmering strands between everything in the forest. The trees were connected to each other. Each of them had a strand connected to myself. My pack had strings going in a myriad of ways, each had one leading to Sam that was brighter than the others. I noticed that Sam had an extremely bright string that lead away from the clearing and off down the road in the direction to Emily's house. I grew curious.

I looked at the string that was connecting me to Bella. It was pulsing, getting brighter and darker and turn. I watched as similar strands wound their way down the pulsing strand turning it from a string to more of a wire cable that connected right at Bella's heart. At that moment the light grew so bright I was worried I was blinded.

Almost as soon as the light was at its brightest it was gone. I was still where I was before—in mid run. I noticed I couldn't see the strands anymore. Everything looked how it was before my epiphany.

Before I imprinted.

Unfortunately I had no time to come to terms with my new state of being. The fact remained: Bella was still terrified, and she still had Paul bearing down on her about to spring.

I tore my eyes from her and settled my gaze back on Paul. A roar erupted from my chest as I flew through the air, vaulting over Bella.

Paul met me in mid air his own roar echoing with mine as we crashed into each other. I wasn't going to let him go easily, but by his immediate response of going for my throat neither was he.

We hit the ground and both us rolled. So began the dance. He lunged forward to snap but I dodged out of the way easily. Training with Sam so recently was coming to my aid, and I felt thankful to my Alpha. We closed the distance both of us rising to our back feet. Our front legs wrapped around each others torsos. I was quicker and my teeth sank into the side of his neck. I released my grip with my paws and used my mouth to toss him to the side. He skidded about five feet across the clearing and was getting up when I made my advance.

I sprang at him but he caught me off guard and used his shoulders to force my momentum forward, almost sending me into a tree. I heard the whooping and hollering of the others as they watched the fight. I didn't dare look in Bella's direction in fear that it would distract me enough for Paul to get a good shot in.

Thankfully he was zoned in on me now. He turned and jumped knocking into me, I let his weight carry us out of view of the clearing—and Bella—and further into the woods. I didn't want her to witness what I might have to do...even if she didn't know it was me yet.

The fight carried on further into the woods. I sank my teeth into Paul's shoulder as his sank into mine. We were locked, both of us growling, hackles raised. Both of us completely still as the breeze blew around us. Neither of us noticed when the big black wolf, Sam's wolf, approached.

_Both of you_ calm yourselves _and_ let go _,_ Sam's order came down and we both released and backed up a few paces. Still growling but quieter now. Sam stepped between us and waited as slowly our fur finally rested on our backs and our jowls covered our teeth.

_She fucking hit me Jake_ , Paul's eyes narrowed at me from over Sam's back.

_You probably deserved it_ , I shot back.

He growled but Sam's head turned towards him. _You did deserve it._

Paul sat and 'humphed'.

_Is she okay,_ I asked Sam.

His eyes slowly turned to meet mine and nodded. _Embry and Jarred are taking her to Emily's. She knows too much, Jacob. We need to figure out what to do._

_Nothing needs to be 'figured out',_ I pressed. I began to think about what I had seen. The strands between everyone. How mine and Bella's turned into a thick cable.

Sam's eyes widened a fraction of an inch as he watched what I showed them and nodded. _Well that settles that, then_.

Paul stood. _She can't know anymore! She's a leech lover! If they come back she'll tell them everything!_

A snarl ripped through me. _She wouldn't do that to me! They left and they're not coming back._

_You don't know that,_ Sam's eyes appraised me.

_Well I don't have much of a choice but to believe it! She might still be broken up about them, but she's my best friend, and now that she's my imprint she has to know!_ I began to pace. _She wouldn't hurt me. Even if she hates me for abandoning her she's too good of a person to out us if those bloodsuckers come back._

Both of them were silent.

_She had to have known about what they were, and if that didn't drive her off screaming for the hills then she's a lot stronger than you give her credit for. She's not dumb. She's heard our legends and she has to be putting two and two together right now. Without telling her she already knows. We just have to trust her._

Paul snorted, and Sam's tail swished still uncomfortable about the situation.

_Please_ , I begged whining lowly _, Give her a chance!_

Sam finally nodded and phased back into his human form. His brows were pulled together in worry, but he just kept nodding for a moment before sighing and folding his arms.

"Both of you go home and get clothes." I looked back at my hind leg and noticed that in the scuffle Paul had shredded my shorts. "She's going to be worried, and she's going to want to see you, Jacob—so put a move on it." He looked to Paul and continued, "you do the same, and when you get to Emily's be _nice_ to her." I could see the disgruntled look in Paul's eyes but Sam cut him off before he could get so much as a whine out. "I know she hit you, but your face broke her hand. You're even."

I laughed though I was worried about Bella's damaged hand. Charlie wouldn't like it that she had ditched school for LaPush and _then_ broke her hand. I turned and sauntered off into the woods towards my house feeling, after everything was factored in, like I had won the lottery.

It was hard for the imprint to resist a wolf's affections. Still Bella was stronger than anyone I knew and she would still want to take things slow, if she still even wanted to try after what I had done. She was the most forgiving person I knew. There was no way, even if it took weeks or even months that she wouldn't forgive me.

The imprint was simple. Even if she didn't want to try anymore I would still be her best friend if that was all she wanted. I could be happy with that. Eventually. At least I would have her near me, and she would be safe.

I phased outside my front door and walked into the house naked. I headed immediately for my room and dug around the piles of clothes on the floor for some shorts. It took a while but finally I was dressed. I headed back out and my dad poked his head out of the kitchen.

"What was all the commotion outside?"

"Bella punched Paul in the face. He phased and tried to attack her-" my dad's eyes shot open, he rolled further into view waiting for the rest of the story.

"I showed up at the right time to kick his ass for a bit before Sam shut things down." Dad nodded and sighed.

"So she knows?"

"Yup."

"The others are okay with this?" His tone rang with disbelief.

"Not really but they'll come around."

His face became one of knowing, he nodded gravely, and then slapped me on the arm affectionately. "Good for you, Jake."

I smiled, but was suddenly unsure. I tried to laugh it off as I turned and headed for the door to go to Emily's.

"Here's hoping!" I called as I headed out and began to jog down the road towards my uncertain fate.


	3. Just One Yesterday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella's POV over the events from Chapter One, through Chapter Two. How will she take to the new found information on Jacob?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, again! This chapter goes pretty well paired with the previous, so I just decided to post them both today. I'm sure you won't mind!
> 
> This chapter is Bella's POV, and I found this to be a lot of fun to write. She is very different from cannon Bella, and she isn't going to apologize for how she feels any longer. I found it rather freeing to be honest!
> 
> Next chapter will be Jacob's again. That will probably be posted in a few days!
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy--if you can take the time, please leave me some feedback, I would very much appreciate it!

**Just One Yesterday**

"You don't want me?" Pain shot to my core as the familiar words that had haunted my dreams for months echoed through my brain in Jacob's harsh tone. The phone cord dropped from my hands as my left arm instinctively wrapped around my middle hoping to keep the pain at bay.

"No. Just don't come here anymore, Bella."

_Jacob?_ I couldn't continue this conversation. If I persisted I was worried more of Edward's lines would make their way from Jacob's lips. So I gave up.

"Okay." My voice cracked. I heard him grunt a 'goodbye' and the click after he hung up. I noiselessly put the handset back in the cradle and left the kitchen heading straight for my room, eternally grateful Charlie couldn't see the tears that rolled down my cheeks.

I walked in and sat on my bed for a second before rolling to my side and bringing my knees to my chest. _Why?_ The thought reverberated through my mind on repeat as I quietly cried.

Had he thought about the movies and come to the conclusion that I was using him? I had been up front about the terms and conditions and he had seemed nothing but eager that night. Did he talk to Billy? Had my father's best friend clued him in on how selfish I was actually being? No. Jacob didn't talk about these things with Billy. He had learned his lesson after being outed earlier in the year about non-stop talking of wanting to see me.

By the time Charlie came home my silent tears had turned into body wrecking sobs. I felt the mattress dip under his weight. His hand rubbed my back. He didn't even ask what was wrong, assuming I was having an Edward relapse. I didn't mind the lack of questioning. The last thing I wanted was to come clean and have my dad drive to LaPush and shoot Jacob for hurting his already emotionally challenged daughter.

For the first time since I had started spending almost every waking second on the reservation I felt completely alone. My sunshine, my Jacob, didn't want me around anymore. I felt like there wasn't enough air in the room and I tried to gasp through my sobs, and soon I was hyperventilating more than crying. Charlie ended up having to lay across my chest and squeeze me until the spasms stopped. Awkward as it was, I didn't care. I was breathing normally again, and too tired to cry. Charlie finally took off my shoes, muttered for me not to worry about dinner and tucked me in.

Waking up screaming is the worst feeling in the world. The past three nights since I talked to Jacob I had a new dream. It was Jacob with me in the forest instead of Edward. He was telling me the same things I had head every time I thought of him. _I don't want you to come with me. You're no good for me._ What made it worse is that in my dream behind Jacob there was a pair of dark eyes in the shadow of the forest that kept me from concentrating on my best friend's face. A face that I would never see again.

That is when the screaming would start.

Charlie came in right on cue to soothe me. It didn't take as long as before but when I turned to thank him I could see the same worry in his eyes that he had the morning he told me he wanted me to go to Jacksonville. His mustache had more gray in it as did the wavy hair on his head. It came as a surprise to me when I hugged him to apologize and felt the handle of his gun knock into my chest.

I leaned back and took a closer look. He was on his way to work earlier than usual. The sun was barely illuminating the forest outside my window.

"There's been another bear attack, they need me at the station." He sounded almost apologetic. I know he didn't really want to stay and just sit awkwardly in my room until I decided to pry myself from the warmth of my bed, but for a fraction of a second I wished he would.

I nodded. "'S okay dad, you can go. I'm fine now. No more screaming." I tried to smile and by the look on his face I had utterly failed.

"Call me if you need me home, Bella, and I'll come back as soon as I can." He stood and headed for the door. His gate was slow and unsure. Then his shoulders tensed and he looked like he was psyching himself up to broach another sensitive subject.

_Don't tell me to live with Mom. Don't tell me to live with Mom._ I squeezed my eyes shut as the mantra went through my mind, trying to will Charlie out of the house. My powers failed. He turned and sighed heavily.

"You're closing yourself off again, Bella. You haven't been to see Jake in over a week-"

"He's sick," I replied blandly.

"Still I expected you to ignore Billy and at least say 'hi' or bring soup or something," his arms flapped at his sides. "I still haven't heard anything about your school friends, and the screaming is getting worse. Are you sure it wouldn't be better for you to go to Jacksonville?"

I blinked up at him. What was I going to say?

"Just give it some thought," he nodded at me and headed out into the hall.

I waited until I heard the front door lock before I flopped back onto my bed. I didn't want to leave. If I wasn't going to let Edward chase me out of town I certainly wasn't going to let my supposed 'best friend' do so. What right did he have to play on my feelings like that and spout off the same things that had been said when I was dumped and left in the woods?

A white hot anger washed over me. _Dick move, Jacob Black_! I mean, how dare he? He had to have known what this would have done to me. Especially after I had opened up to him at the movies. The least he owed me was an explanation. _Then_ I would make a decision about Jacksonville.

I sprang out of bed and began to get dressed. A pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt later I was headed down the stairs and out the door with my keys. I stopped to lock the door and saw the sun finally peeking over the tree tops. It was extremely early, but so what if I interrupted his precious sleep? Not like he cared what happened to me.

I was at my truck when I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I looked around. Nothing. _Must be the cold_ , I thought as I realized I had forgotten a jacket. I looked back at the house deciding if I should go back in and grab it or not. _Screw it._ It wasn't that much of a hassle but I was afraid I would lose my nerve if I didn't go now.

I got in my truck and headed for the Quileute reservation. My speed increased as my anger did and soon I found myself way over the speed limit as I turned down the road that lead to the Black's house. The road was too long for my temper's liking. I hit the steering wheel with the flat of my palm, pretending it was Jacob's face. That was less than he deserved.

I rolled into the Black's yard, my truck proudly announcing my presence. I steeled myself one last time and cut the power. I threw my door open so hard it nearly bounced back and hit me in the face. Somehow luck was on my side and I managed to catch it.

"Fuck!" I almost never swore. Rarely around Renee' and _never_ around Charlie. It had never been a habit for me, but I was on a roll now and I had no filter. The sound was foreign, and jarring. At the same time it felt good.

I slammed the door and marched up to the porch, ready to bang on the wooden side of the house all morning of it came to it. I was _pissed_. He would know it, as would Billy, and the rest of LaPush if necessary. "Goddamned mother fucking sonofa-" The door opened.

Billy was there, a blanket across his lap, looking at me with absolute disdain. Obviously he had heard my verbal onslaught. For a second I felt embarrassed thinking of his late wife, but all momentary sympathy was out the window at the words out of his mouth:

"He doesn't want to see you, Bella. Go home. Now."

My fists balled up at my sides, and my knees shook. "No. You listen to me Billy. I didn't do a damned thing to Jacob! He had no right to say what he said to me, and you know it! I've done everything I can to be a good friend to him and he treated me like trash. I am not going anywhere 'till he comes outside to face me!"

Billy had never seen me like this. Much to my dismay he didn't look taken aback. Just...impressed? One of his brows lifted as he looked me over for a moment. His lack of response only made my anger worse but I was doing my best to save my fury for Jacob.

"Well...?"

Whatever he had been thinking, he seemed to decide against it. He shook his head and sighed. "Doesn't change a thing Bella. He doesn't want to see you. Anyway, he's not even here."

"I'll wait then. I'm not giving up Billy. He will see me today!"

I turned and stormed off back to my truck almost ruining the display by slipping on the soft dirt. I caught myself and kept upright. I heard a chuckle behind me, and so I shot him a dirty look over my shoulder.

Billy waited until I was seated in my truck before he rolled himself back in the house. I snorted in his direction and folded my arms across my chest. Now to wait.

It was much less waiting and more like stewing.

Five long minutes passed. I was chewing on my lip and staring blankly out the windshield when I caught a movement in front of me off to the right. Three large figures, barrel chested and tall wearing nothing but pants cut off just above the knee. The two shorter ones were laughing and shoving each other on the shoulder. The taller one just watched, amused. His eyes glinted.

I was transported back to the forest. To Jacob's harsh words and the ever present pair of eyes in the background. Then it clicked in my head. Sam Uley.

So this what all this was about? Sam Uley had gotten to Jacob somehow? I thought back to earlier conversations where Jacob shared his fears about the older teen and his friends. How they always seemed to be off in the distance no matter what Jacob was doing. Like they were waiting.

That had to be it. That had to be the reason why Jacob wouldn't see me. Sam wasn't letting him.

I came back to the present and realized that all three of the shirtless boys were watching me. I glared and got out of my truck. Jacob was worth fighting for, and I would verbally put these dogs down if necessary if it meant having my friend back.

I walked up and centered myself between the tallest two, almost having to crane my neck to keep eye contact with Sam. He gazed back impassively waiting for me to begin.

"You leave Jacob alone, Sam," my nails dug into my palms, "you changed him and I'll never forgive you for that! He never would have treated me the way he has if it weren't for you!"

"You're right," Sam's voice slapped me in the face, "but he's not your concern anymore, Bella."

"He is my concern, he's my best friend!" My hand flew to my mouth for a moment and I turned my head slightly, a smile of rage on my face for a moment before I forced my arm back to my side.

"Not anymore," the one next to him spoke, his voice no where as shrill but just as angry as my own.

"He's not a toy that someone can posses," I shot a glare at the boy who spoke, "he's a living breathing human being that had a life and friends before you got your nasty claws into him! You're acting like—like children that don't know how to share!"

Laughter. They were laughing at me? No. Only the one who spoke other than Sam. His laugh was a deep rumble low in his throat. The kind of laugh one would have when they encountered something truly amusing. I tried to ignore it.

"Jacob, when he gets here, will talk to me," I directed my gaze back at Sam. "He owes me that much."

The laughter to my left increased.

I lost it. I barely cast a glance at the laughing boy before my hand shot out and my fist hit him straight in the cheek with as much force as I could possibly put behind it. Charlie had insisted I learn some self defense after he noticed how serious things with Edward had become. I had despised it then, but was intensely grateful, now.

A fraction of a second after my fist made contact, I heard a sharp crack, and pain began to radiate from my hand. The laughter had stopped. I pulled my hand back, clutching my right wrist with my left hand, cradling my useless appendage to my chest.

The boy's face hadn't even moved. He just turned his eyes in their sockets to cast a deathly glare at me. His lips curled back in a snarl and his shoulders tensed. His skin seemed to ripple.

"Oh she's done it now," the quiet one finally spoke. "Better back up, Bella. Paul's going to freak!"

Although his tone was light there was a grave sincerity to it. I felt my rage induced confidence shatter as I watched Paul begin to shake violently. I stumbled back a few paces, my eyes wide taking everything in. Neither of the others made a move other than to sidle a few steps away from Paul.

"Bella, back up," Sam's voice rang in my ears. I continued to make my way back somewhat conscious of being careful not to fall. The last thing I needed was to be prone in front of a teen on the verge of a freak out.

I never took my eyes off of Paul, not even chancing a blink. So when his skin tore and dark gray fur became exposed speedily wrapping itself around Paul's changing form I caught everything. I heard no bones breaking but I saw his arms elongate and his knees snap back. His neck grew and lengthened as did his face.

If I had blinked I wouldn't have been able to figure out how the giant gray wolf had gotten in front of me. I was stunned into silence.

_You know the Quileutes are supposedly descended from wolves_ , Jacob's voice rang in my mind. I shook my head. It couldn't be, could it? At the time I had only been interested to hear in the Cold Ones, the Quileute legend for vampires. I did the best I could to recall the rest of the story but came up blank as I gazed into the dark gray wolf's angry black eyes. I didn't need to remember. The truth was staring me down.

I froze in mid step. If Jake was involved with Sam, and Sam's friends turned into giant wolves...did that mean...? _Oh shit, Jacob._ My eyes began to water as I though of my friend wandering as a giant wolf, with only other wolves for company. Not being able to tell anyone what was going on. It must be so lonely. I knew lonely, and my heard broke thinking of Jacob going through the same thing.

The gray wolf crouched bringing me out of my thoughts. I knew I shouldn't run, but my adrenaline wouldn't allow me to be still. I turned, nearly falling. I caught myself with my good hand, and scrambled to get away. I had made it only ten steps when I looked up hoping I was somewhere near the relative safety of my truck only to be met with the sight of a snarling russet wolf baring down on me.

It was bigger than the gray one, and it had more muscle to it. Its hackles were raised as it closed the distance. Its teeth glinted in the early morning light. Its eyes, narrowed in concentration, were a shade of brown I had never seen in a wolf. I saw its pupils dilate as it focused on me intently. For an instant I could swear I saw a flicker of recognition as its eyes opened into two giant red brown pools. There was something familiar about the irises.

_Jacob?_ Its gaze shifted to something behind me. It soared over me and before I could even turn I heard the sound of a roar as the fight commenced.

I wheeled around, falling in the process and watched Paul tried to sink his teeth into the rust colored wolf's neck. The wolf that I presumed was Jacob dodged Paul's teeth and they both dropped back to the earth, each rolling in separate directions. There wasn't so much as a dust cloud as the two scrambled to their feet. They circled around each other, closing the distance until they both rose on their hind legs and clawed at the other with their front paws. Jacob bit into Paul's neck, and wrenched him off his feet to the side causing the gray wolf to slide along the ground.

Paul quickly rose and bowed down as if to play. Jake took the bait and made a move first, sailing through the air. Paul took advantage of Jacob's momentum and just as he was about to get hit moved forward and sprang up into Jacob's underbelly sending him flying to the edge of the forest.

The realization that there was nothing between Paul and I hit me. I should have taken the opportunity to run to my truck, turn down the road and get the hell out of LaPush. My body betrayed me and decided to stay paralyzed. I thought briefly about what I would do if Paul came at me again. I thought of kicking him in the nose to possibly give me an extra few seconds of life. My leg would just end up down his throat. I shuddered and the thought of being torn limb from limb.

All things considered, I wasn't as scared as I knew I should be. At least not for myself. Jacob, of all people, deserved a normal life. One without the supernatural. He was kind, considerate, and above all else—innocent, his lips trembled faced with his first kiss. Now I didn't know. How had he changed? Did I want to know?

I became aware that the growling had dissipated. I blinked and looked around, the two wolves were gone. My eyes searched the clearing and I landed on Sam, the quiet one, and a newcomer who was dressed the same.

"You two, take Bella to Emily's. I'll go break them up," his quiet voice was stern and left no room for conversation as he walked into the treeline and disappeared.

The two remaining boys looked at each other and then to me. I shook my head as the quiet one headed over cautiously as if he were trying to pick up a woodland creature.

"Don't touch me," I warned and raised a leg prepared to kick him if he came close.

He laughed and squatted down just out of kicking reach. "Has it really been that long that you don't recognize me, Bella?" His tone was very light for such a deep voice. I shook my head.

"Jacob's garage? You, Jake, Quil and me drinking sodas?"

"Embry?" I gasped. He nodded and laughed, opening his arms making a gesture like he was showing off a new car. He stood and reached out to me. Without hesitation I took his hand and he pulled me up so fast that I lost balance and smacked right into his chest. My face landed on his hard pectoral muscle. I could feel my cheek heat up rapidly. Embry was scorching.

He put his hands on my waist to steady me before he stepped back removing me from the embrace we had ended up in. He looked almost as embarrassed as I felt. Blood rushed to my cheeks in response. Embry looked at his feet and took another step to the side, bringing his amused friend into view.

"Jarred," he mumbled.

Jarred waved. He seemed friendly enough. He was about the same height as Embry and every bit as developed. I gave him a small smile and looked off into the woods.

"Jake's going to be okay, right?" My voice was small.

"How do you know it's Jake?" Embry's tone made me turn back to him. His brow was raised expectantly, and he seemed slightly taken aback.

"The red wolf had his eyes," I shrugged as if it should have been obvious.

The two chattered as we walked, only casting a glance back at me every now and then to make sure I was still following. I didn't see a point in running. No way I could compete with wolf speed, and I wasn't chancing one of them turning and carrying me like a toy to wherever we were going.

"Twenty bucks says Paul gets his ass handed to him," Embry held out a hand to his friend.

"You're on. Jake's so wound about vampire girl he's got to be off his game," Jarred slapped Embry's hand.

"Right here guys," I grumbled. They both looked back at me and smirked. "And I'm not the vampire girl..." How could they take bets when the fight had been so violent? Weren't they worried at all that one or both of their friends would be hurt?

"Don't worry about Jake, Bella. He was fighting to keep you alive. He's not going to let Paul win," he looked pointedly at Jarred who's brows furrowed.

"I want to change my bet."

"Too late," Embry grinned, "might as well pay me now!"

"I want in," I called up to them. Their long legs had carried them ten feet in front of me. To keep up right I was walking slower than usual. They both stopped and turned to look at me, confused. I looked down at the ground between us and made sure there were no large rocks or pot holes before I jogged up to them.

I stopped between the two of them, having to look up to see their faces. I smiled pretending not to notice their confusion. "There's a third option that hasn't been covered yet, right? I'm betting it's a tie!" I held out my left hand for them to slap.

They looked in turn between the other, myself, and my hand. "Why would you think that? Don't think Jake can win?" Embry sounded a bit hurt.

I shook my head, "no-no, that's not what I'm saying at all!" I withdrew my hand and ran my fingers through my hair. "I see a lot, you know. I'm not stupid, I heard what Sam said he was going to do. You two listened to him so he must be the leader of your little group, which means that Paul and Jacob must be, uhhh followers, too. So, I figure, if Sam shows up and tells them to knock it off, they won't have much of a say in it."

The two boys looked at each other again looks of surprise on their faces. Then they sighed. I assumed it was because I was right. I held out my hand again, and Embry and Jarred each took turns slapping it. My hand stung like I had shoved it in a hornet nest.

"You're anything but dumb," Embry scratched the back of his head looking defeated.

"Do you want to just give me my forty dollars and save yourselves the embarrassment?" I grinned and brushed past them.

"No!" They both shouted in unison and walked with me, one on each side.

It was my turn to laugh.

"So where are we going again?"

"Emily's," Jarred answered as he put a hand on the small of my back, guiding me down a path to the left.

The path was just big enough for a car to make a trip through without the side mirrors hitting a tree. The forest on either side was dense and dark, and I felt glad having Embry and Jarred on either side of me knowing that Paul was somewhere in the woods.

After about fifty feet the path opened up into a clearing which contained the closest thing to a Disney cottage that I'd ever seen in real life. Even though the white facade of the house was faded and chipping and there was a few shingles missing, the small wooden house that was Emily's was made all the more beautiful by her use of gardening. Coffee cans with flowers littered the porch along with terracotta pots and hanging baskets. The only empty space was between the steps and the door.

I heard Embry inhale deeply. "Cornbread," he smiled and sprinted off into the house. Jarred stayed with me, and I smiled over at him grateful not to have to walk into the unknown alone.

"Hey, Bella, before you go in just do me a favor."

"What?" I stopped looking from the house to him. His face scrunched as he chose his words.

"Don't...stare at Emily, okay? Sam doesn't like it." His hands fidgeted as if there were more to the story that he wasn't willing to share. I didn't press and just nodded in agreement. Staring was rude anyway.

As soon as we crossed the threshold of Emily's house the smell of buttery fresh cornbread hit me in the face. The front room was mostly kitchen and dining room. Embry was already seated at a decently sized dining table, his leg bouncing as he looked off to his right at the kitchen. Jarred swept past me and took a seat next to Embry.

"Hey, Emily, this is Bella Swan," he drew out my last name putting much unneeded emphasis on it.

The curvacious figure at the counter began to turn. I noted that she had to be a bit older seeing as how developed she seemed to be even being covered by an apron. Her face matched her body, heart shaped with impeccable bone structure. She was gorgeous. The only thing out of place were three inch wide pink scars that ran from her hairline to her jaw, turning the right side of her wide welcoming smile into a grimace.

_Don't stare._ I blinked and smiled, my fingers tightening a bit around my injured wrist. _What happened to her?_

"What happened?" Emily's tone was that of a worried mother. She wiped her hands on a dish towel and approached, asking for my injured arm with a gesture of her own. I held it out to her and allowed her to inspect it carefully. She turned to look at the boys her eyes narrowing. Both held up their hands as if to ward off her ire.

"She did it," Embry spoke quickly, "she punched Pall in the face! It was great, she didn't even cry when the bones cracked or anything!" He grinned at me proudly and flashed me a thumbs up. I grinned back, rather proud myself.

Emily didn't make a sound as she flitted back to the kitchen and began rummaging through her freezer. She was back to me not twenty seconds later with a pack of frozen peas wrapped in a hand towel. I took it and pressed the cold pack lightly to my knuckles. The coolness was a salve to the pain in my hand. I smiled and thanked her. She returned my smile and motioned for me to sit with the others.

"Tell me everything," I couldn't help but notice her tone was rather similar to Sam's. I sat as Embry dove into the day's events starting with 'The tiny Pale Face championing for Jacob' and ending with 'now she thinks she's taking our money'.

Emily laughed and 'hrmmm'ed at the right times as she kneaded whatever dough she was working on. Finally after cleaning her hands she turned, a mountain of cornbread on the platter she carried and walked over to the table. "I'm glad you stood up to Paul, Bella. Sounds like he was very rude."

"Sounds like Paul being Paul," Jarred muttered as he reached for a piece of cornbread. Emily quickly switched her grip on the platter and slapped the back of his hand.

"Ladies first, mind your manners." She set the cornbread down and turned back to the kitchen. It smelled delicious, and I realized in my hurry to leave this morning, that I hadn't eaten. I put my cold pack down and grabbed a plate from the stack next to the platter and took the top square of cornbread. As soon as my food touched my plate, both Embry and Jarred had two on their plates and one in their mouths.

"Holy..." I trailed off glancing at Emily before looking back to the boys, their eyes nearly rolled back in their heads in contentment. "So I guess I wasn't too far off calling you guys children?" Embry stuck his tongue out me, it was covered in chunks of food. I giggled.

"Emily!" I turned to see Sam stride into the house headed straight for the woman in the kitchen. She stopped immediately and turned, smiling from ear to ear. She practically danced up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck trying to avoid smearing him with the dough on her hands. His usual deadened eyes now sparkled as he looked at Emily's face. I knew that look. It was the look Edward gave me that morning in our meadow and every day since until he had left.

I closed my eyes and braced myself for the pain but it never came. I looked down at where I usually felt the hole in my chest and saw nothing but nearly white skin and a hint of cleavage that peaked through the top of my shirt.

"Checking yourself out, there, Bella?" Embry's comment caused Jarred to spew chewed cornbread all over his plate.

I ignored his joke and frowned as I looked at my untouched food. Why was there no pain? The hole in my chest had been my only constant companion other than Jacob for months. It was what I counted on to let me know that I was still alive when my best friend wasn't there to cinch the seams. It had been worse the past few days as I battled with the fact that I wouldn't see Jacob again. I had even felt it this morning when I woke up, but then I got angry and...was that it? Did my fury at Jake letting me down close he hole, or just take my mind off of it? If it was the latter, I was surely running on fumes.

I glanced back to my left and surreptitiously watched as Sam kissed each of Emily's scars before planting a passionate kiss on her full lips. I smiled at the scene, glad that Emily

had someone to look at her like she was the only one in existence.

I went back to my food. I broke off a piece of cornbread and popped it into my mouth. I used to have someone that looked at me like that, and now he was gone. He left me in the woods, stumbling and screaming his name in the dark for hours. _Everything about me is designed to pull you in._ Well it worked. I swallowed. Maybe he had just been toying with me all along? I had known that it made no sense for him to love me, and surmised that was the reason he continuously refused to turn me, but had I really never considered the fact that maybe he had more in common with James than just vampirism? It just might have been a game all along, to make me love him, keep me to himself and then ditch me once I had truly fallen for him. For all I knew he was still in town watching me from the tree outside my window as I thrashed and screamed in my sleep. I glowered at my piece of cornbread and shakily put the cold pack back on my throbbing hand.

_You can never trust a vampire._ His words came back to me and I nodded. I guess he was right about that. I wouldn't ever trust a vampire again. Edward, because he broke my heart, and the rest of the Cullens because they left me hanging when I needed them the most.

The sound of wood scraping on wood and a flash of tanned skin made me look up. Paul. I bristled as I watched him size me up. I was waiting for him to start growling and shaking again, but he just smiled and piled his plate with food.

"Calm down there, Feisty, we're cool." He raised a piece of cornbread to me in a toast and promptly shoved it down his gullet. He chewed for a few minutes before swallowing the entire lump and smiled at me again, "sorry about the hand. Guess you'll know better for next

time."

"Doesn't hurt that bad," I gave him a small smile, hoping that he was truly over our fight.

A loud 'oooooooo' erupted from Embry and Jarred. Paul glared at them but kept his cool, more intent on shoving food into his mouth than anything else. Which I was glad for. I didn't have to talk to him.

If Paul was back where was Jacob? My brows furrowed and I picked at my plate. I hoped he was okay. Sam didn't seem worried so I had to believe that everything was alright. Still I wanted to know, and I needed to go about it without seeming as worried as I was. I did my best to smile and looked up at Jarred and Embry, "so, Sam," I called out keeping my eyes on the others. "Who won?"

The other betters stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at Sam. He sighed and from my peripherals I could see him rest his forehead against Emily's. "I didn't let it get

that far."

"Would you say it was a tie?" I asked sweetly. Jarred glared at me while Embry kept locked onto Sam.

"That's how it was when I broke it up, yes."

Embry and Jarred groaned and slumped in their chairs. I cackled and held out my hand, waving my fingers at them. "Pay up, chumps!" They begrudgingly reached into their pockets. Each of them slapped a twenty into my hand a little harder than necessary. I was in the middle of fanning myself with my earnings when I felt a familiar presence behind me.

I turned, unsure for whatever reason and saw him leaning casually against the doorway. He filled the whole door frame, he had to be at least six foot five now. His arms were folded over his bare chest, and his legs were crossed at the ankles. Like the rest of them, he was only wearing shorts. I found myself staring at the muscles resting under his perfect skin, but I was caught up in the fact that he had six pack abs when he cleared his throat. My face turned red, and I looked at him through my hair, a small apologetic smile on my lips.

His hair was cropped short, just barely long enough to be considered shaggy. It looked good on him. His face seemed more angular now that it wasn't masked by a curtain of jet black hair. Jake's return smile was sweet and held just as much of an apology as mine. He nodded his head over his shoulder and turned heading for the stairs.

I excused myself quietly, pocketed my money, abandoned the cold pack on the table and followed him out. I watched as he gracefully hopped off the porch and into the dirt. I was fascinated at how his shoulder blades moved beneath his skin.

I had just made it to the edge of the stairs when he turned and pulled me into one of his huge Jake hugs. He spun me in a circle, crushing me against his chest. His heat felt amazing against the cold air. I grinned against his sternum, and felt his returning smile against the top of my head. The moment would have been perfect if my injured hand wasn't trapped between

us.

I yelped and he quickly but carefully put me down, his hands on my shoulders as he tried to spot the source of my pain. I meekly raised my right hand, my knuckles were purple and engorged. Jacob's brows furrowed and he tenderly took my crushed hand in his and brought it closer to his face. I watched as he slowly placed a feather light kiss on each of my purple knuckles. He was so careful I didn't even feel it.

Jacob's eyes moved to mine over my hand. There was something new, older, more serious about the way he looked at me. He didn't stare at me the way a sixteen year old boy would look at his crush. It was more like how a twenty something year old man looked at his bride to be. Confident, and knowing.

I felt my face burn again and I tried to look at my shoes, but instead caught a glimpse of his stomach. I settled for looking off in the direction of the beach. This definitely was not the same Jacob that pulled away from my house just over a week ago. He was confident, agile, and...unbelievably hot.

I bit my lip and closed my eyes trying to calm myself before my mind went any further. I would deal with these new feelings later. Right now he had some explaining to do, but not here.

"First beach," I inquired not ready to look at him.

"Sure, sure," Jacob's voice had deepened. I shivered. He let go of my right hand and took my left and pulled slightly so I would follow him. Holding hands with Jake was nothing new. We held hands all the time before the movie theater. It was a comfort that I had missed, and was not going to fight, even if he was a newer, self-assured slightly scary Jacob.

We walked in a comfortable silence through the trees off to the left of Emily's. I could already smell the air off of the ocean. It seemed like forever since I had seen the multicolored pebbles that made up the beach, or sat on our ancient white driftwood log. I smiled thinking of the first time we had sat there—when he told me the Quileute legends. He had been young boyish, and easily convinced into sharing his tribe's secret stories with a horrible attempt at flirting on my part. I had a feeling if I tried anything like that now I would be the one spilling all my secrets.

A few minutes later we broke through the trees and were staring out on the beach. Jacob let go of my hand and slid an arm around my waist lifting me so I wouldn't slide down the steep incline that separated the beach from the forest. It probably would have taken me a few minutes on my own and I was anxious to have this conversation done and over with. I still wasn't sure if I would be going home having my best friend, or if I would be waking up tonight screaming again. He simply jumped the four feet down and put me back on my feet, releasing me entirely.

I walked past him, my shoes crunching on the smooth pebbles. The breeze from the beach sent a chill through me and I pulled my arms in across my stomach trying to hide my hands which were already going numb. I carried on until I got to our spot. I wasn't sure if he had followed me or not. I turned on my heel and came face to face with his chest.

I squeezed my eyes shut and took a few deep breaths. The heat rolling off of him made

it easier to concentrate since I wasn't being wracked with shivers. I stood there and continued to breathe, trying to work up some of my anger from earlier. It was so hard to be mad at him now that he was right in front of me. I tried to think of something sarcastic to say. Something to cut him to give him a glimpse of how badly he had hurt me.

"Why did you use his words against me?" My voice came out quiet and almost childish. _Pathetic, Bella._ My good hand picked at my sleeve.

I heard a low sigh from above me and I noticed his forearm pulse like he was clenching and releasing his fist.

"It was the only way to keep you safe," he sounded distant, like he was trying to convince himself.

"Bullshit," I breathed.

"If I had said anything else you would have been at my door in fifteen minutes," his tone was harsh, like it had been when I called.

"Damn right I would have," I took a few steps back so I could look him in the eyes. His brows were furrowed and his mouth was set in a grim line. "I wouldn't give up on my best friend! You know why I called every day, Jake—because I fucking care about you, and what...what you did to me was a low blow."

I barely noticed that I had started pacing, kicking pebbles everywhere as I went. I continued to rant at him, berating him for using _those_ words.

"-in the woods, Jake. He left me screaming for him. That was my nightmare every night until we started hanging out again. These past few months, I rarely woke up screaming, and then you answer the phone and you...you use _his_ words and guess what happened?" I hissed. Jacob flinched but continued looking at me. "It was you I woke up screaming about, Jake."

"Bells..." He looked as if he was being torn apart from the inside.

"All this after I tell you that I would try to be what you want me to be? Do you know how hard that was for me—to tell you that I would try? To come to terms that I might hurt you even though I was trying to make you so incredibly happy? It took me hours after I got home to stop worrying that I was going to hurt you and ruin us...to be okay with it. To be ready to let go a little."

I finally stopped pacing and looked at him. He looked almost as broken as I had felt. I began to feel horrible about what I said, even though it was all the truth. Jacob just stood there looking off down the beach, his hands in fists at his side. I watched as he began to grind his teeth, and his shoulders began to shake much like Paul's had before he transformed.

_Oh no_ , tears pricked the sides of my eyes, _not because of me!_ My body screamed at me to back up and get out of the way before Jacob exploded into fur and teeth. Emily was all the cautionary tale I needed. I looked as his eyes slammed shut—fighting to keep control.

I fought my instincts and stepped closer, he shuffled a step back but it seemed like not transforming was taking all of his concentration. I took advantage and took two more quick steps to him, standing as close as I could be without touching him. Slowly I unlaced my arms from around my torso and raised them, letting my hands rest on his shoulders. He flinched again, but he didn't move. I took that as a good sign and carefully laid my head to rest over his heart. The beat was rapid and uncontrolled, but a good way to tell if my actions were working. The longer I stayed there, the more his heart rate slowed, and slowly the shaking stopped as well.

We stood there like that, completely still as the breeze swirled around us, blowing my hair into my face, blocking everything from view. Out of nowhere his hand was tucking my hair behind my ear. I hadn't even felt him move. His hand slid down my back and rested on my hip.

"I'm _so_ sorry," he whispered hoarsely. "I never should have used that against you. That was the hardest thing I have ever done. I had to do it because I couldn't tell you about what I was...I was scared I would hurt you physically so I settled for hurting you emotionally as long as it would keep you safe."

"Well I know, now," I breathed, "there's nothing to hide anymore. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. You can't make decisions _for_ me, Jake, you need to make them _with_ me." I tilted my head up and looked at his chin. He swallowed and his Adams apple bobbed.

"You don't care?"

"Care? That you're a-uh...a werewolf? No. It's not my first rodeo, Jake." A low growl rumbled through his chest. I squeezed his shoulder with my good hand and he quieted.

"You can't tell them, Bells. Those bloodsuckers can't know our secrets."

I tried to push away to get a better read on his face, but his hand on my hip kept me locked where I was. "I'm not going to tell them anything, Jake. Even if they weren't gone I wouldn't sell you out. You should know that." He relaxed a bit, his shoulders seeming less strained. "Anyway, they left me. _He_ left me and I can't be holding on to some ridiculous notion that he's coming back...or that he ever really cared at all." I bit my lip and sighed, but the pain didn't return.

"So," he began after a long pause, "where does this leave us?"

"I don't know are you going to run away again?"

"Never," his voice drifted down soft and fierce.

"Promise?"

"I promise, Bells. Never again." He squeezed my hip.

"Then we're fine. You apologized, and you're staying. That's all I ever wanted...well, except..." My face heated as I remembered palm striking my steering wheel and pretending it was Jacob's face.

"What?"

"I came here with the intention to hit you." I pressed the side of my face to his chest as he chuckled.

"You seriously want to go and hit two wolves in one day?"

"Thought I'd set a record for us pale faces."

"Already did," I felt him shake his head, his smile reached his voice.

We fell into a comfortable silence. I didn't want to move, and by the way he held on to my hip neither did he. It was different being so close to him for so long. The most we had touched before his transformation was hand holding, or hugs. We had never embraced like this. I never thought I would embrace anyone again after Edward fearing that the pain in my chest would make it impossible, but after my new speculations about his intentions, the hole seemed to be gone. I felt, for the first time that I was beginning to get over Edward Cullen. I was still upset, and I still wondered 'why', but no longer did I wish for him to return and take back his words. I had moved on to a healthier version of heartbreak.

I felt like a huge weight had been lifted. I could finally see a light at the end of the

tunnel, and briefly I wondered if Jacob Black was that light.

"Bells?" I mumbled a 'hmmm' against his chest. "You still feel the same about the other week?"

"No." He stiffened again, and his hold on my hip lessened. "Hold on—I said 'no' because _he_ is not my favorite anymore. I've had a lot of time to do a lot of thinking, and I don't know if I'm ready to share all of that right now, but I just want you to know that I meant what I said. I am no where near ready to jump into anything serious, but after I thought I had lost you I realized that I can't not be with you, Jake. I need you! I'm not sure what that means, yet but I promise you right now that I'll try and figure it out as soon as I can!" I felt him relax again, and felt his cheek press against my hairline.

"So you still want to try?"

"Yeah, but the same terms apply, Jake. Slow and steady."

"I got your slow and steady right here, Bella!" I wrenched away from Jacob to see Embry sliding sideways down the incline from the forest. I put my face in my hands to hide my blush and turned to face the water.

Jacob made an annoyed sound from next to me, and I felt pebbles hit my jeans as he darted off to catch Embry. I heard nothing but Embry's cackling laughter and a string of obscenities from Jacob. I looked up, my face still a little flushed and watched them bounding around the beach. Embry was quick enough to stay just out of Jacob's reach. After dodging another one of Jacob's grab attempts, he turned and headed in my direction full tilt.

Embry had a wicked grin on his face. I began to backpedal putting my arms up to ward him off but he still kept coming, closing the distance at a startling rate.

The air 'wooshed' past me as Embry scooped me off of the beach, his right arm tucked around my middle and hoisted me up so my feet weren't touching the floor. I screamed in surprise at the sudden act, but began to laugh as the water got further and further away. Seeing Jacob just made me laugh harder. He looked so determined to catch up, and a moment later he nearly did. He was close enough to touch. I reached my arm out and ran the side of my pointer finger along his chiseled jaw. The corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk. I responded by 'booping' him on his nose. His step faltered. I had caught him off guard enough to give Embry more of an advantage.

"Run Embry!" I yelled, laughing.

I watched as Jacob shook his head, and increase his pace. His smirk morphed into a full on devious grin. His eyes were full of some heady unknown emotion. He looked like a hunter, and I had made myself the prey.


	4. Every Song that I've Ever Loved

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, everyone! Thank you so much for the Kudos and the views! Its really nice to see that people are taking the time to read what I have written.
> 
> I'm going to be posting chapters differently on here than on ff.net. This and the next chapter are so long that on ff, I felt that I should split the chapter up into two parts. Thankfully here, I can post them as one extra long chapter! I am still unsure as to if the next chapter will be in one or two parts--we'll both have to wait and see.
> 
> If anyone has any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to let me know!

* * *

 

**Every Song that I've Ever Loved**

 

God I would chase that woman anywhere. She was amazing when she laughed. Her eyes glowed from beneath wisps of her dark brown hair as she looked at me over Embry's shoulder. Her hand slapped his back yelling for him to go faster.

Embry juked between trees not bothering to stick to any of the paths worn into the forest floor. I could tell he was being exceedingly careful with his cargo, moving wide enough that her shoulder had a few inches between her and the harsh bark of any trees they passed.

I recognized the route we were taking. This was his way of getting us back to Emily's as quick as possible. Though I was pissed that he had interrupted our moment on the beach, I knew the coming conversation needed to happen. Bella needed to be told that some unknown vampire had been in her house just minutes after she had left it.

Embry broke through into Emily's yard before me. He swiftly set Bella on her feet, making sure she wouldn't fall before casting a smirk back at me. He ran up the steps and into the house. I slowed to a walk before I came out into the clearing. Bella was in the middle of trying to pull the hem of her shirt over her flat stomach to meet her jeans. It looked to be very difficult for her with just one hand. She had just gotten one side pulled down when I approached her. I reached out and touched the smooth nearly white skin just above her hip bone. In all our times hanging out I had never seen this part of her. She was usually bundled and layered in jackets when we were in my shed—even on the warm days. When we would eventually move inside she always seemed to be so careful to keep her skin covered.

Now she just looked up at me blinking slowly waiting me to make a move. I wanted nothing more than to slide my hand up her shirt and feel if her back was just as soft as her front was, but a clearing throat from the doorway made me think better of it. I gently tugged the worn green fabric down and held out my hand for her.

She took it, her entire hand nearly fit into my palm. Was she this smooth everywhere? I bit the inside of my lip and turned to lead her into the house. _You need to stop,_ I told myself, _or the guys are never going to let you hear the end of it._

We got into the house without incident, though Bella did take her time on the two steps up to the porch. We crossed the threshold and Paul made a show of gagging. If his hands hadn't already been around his throat, mine would have. Emily beat me to any sort of reaction by trowing a heavy metal ladle at his head. It bounced off his thick skull and clattered loudly on the floor. Paul whimpered and rubbed the spot the utensil had hit. He didn't dare mess with Emily. Embry who was sitting next to Paul stopped snickering long enough to wiggle his caterpillar eyebrows at us suggestively. He glanced toward the kitchen, and I guessed Emily had more ammunition since he flinched and looked down at his empty plate. Jarred being the smartest of the three just nodded at me, his expression read as 'welcome to the club'. He kicked the chair Bella had been sitting in earlier out for us.

I moved the chair back a little bit more and sat before I pulled her onto my lap. Her thin shapely legs dangled between mine. _Oh shit. Stop it._ I picked up her barely touched piece of cornbread and took a bite, trying to look busy. I chewed slowly trying to concentrate on the flavor and texture. Anything to keep my thoughts from turning back to how close her thigh was to my— _Nope!_ I took another bite and looked around the room and noticed all three of my brothers at the table were watching me expectantly.

Time to get down to business.

"So Bella," I began after I had swallowed. "There's something I have to tell you that I didn't on the beach...I didn't know how to bring it up." She turned to me, her expression mirroring the others.

I launched into this mornings events, quickly, doing my best to keep things factual and to the point. When I spoke of finding the bloodsucker's scent heading toward Forks the color drained from her face, she knew where I was headed.

"I had gotten a chill," she said quietly, "made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I didn't see anything though so I thought it was just the cold." She looked down at her hands in her lap and shuddered. "If I had gone back inside...I dunno..."

I squeezed her knee, trying to comfort the both of us in one action. _She's still here and she's alright_ , I told myself, _everything's fine._

I continued on and told her about how I had followed the scent to the front door. How I used the key to get inside and had searched every inch of her house.

"It wasn't in there. Your room is a fucking mess, and the window was open. It had jumped out and back into the woods before we got there."

"My room?"

"Bloodsucker tossed it," Paul cut in, "took your pillow. It has your scent now."

I was waiting for tears, or for her to faint, but Bella just sighed.

"I was waiting for this," she murmured.

I froze. "You were _what?_ "

She looked up at me, her eyes as sad as the first day she showed up to my house after that dill-weed broke up with her.

"I knew they'd come back for me, eventually." Her smile was just as sad as her eyes.

"Explain," Sam had come to stand next to us, leaving Emily slack jawed in the kitchen.

"Jake, remember when I was in the hospital last year? In Arizona?" I could hear her jaw click as she ground her teeth.

"You didn't fall through a window, did you?"

Bella shook her head slowly. "A few days before that, I was in a clearing to the North of the Cullen's house. Very large, has a waterfall nearby. We were playing baseball because a thunder storm was rolling in, and that was the only time they could get away with it." Her eyes shut as she pictured the scene. Her hand ran down my arm to find mine. I squeezed her hand to let her know it was okay to continue when she was ready, though I wasn't sure I wanted to hear this at all.

"They played a few innings. I'm, well...I'm me so they had me call game. The ball had flown far into the woods when Alice saw what was coming. She has visions y'know? Of the future? She saw three of them, red eyes and dirty, heading to the clearing. They weren't like the Cullens. These ones fed off people, were nomadic.

"Edward didn't have enough time to get me out of there, so they all stood in front of me and told me to keep quiet. Didn't matter, though. I was far to scared to do anything but watch Edward as he stared the newcomers down.

"There was Laurent who was darker skinned even as a vampire. Had long black dreadlocks and a leather coat. Victoria who had red wavy hair and a big fluffy fur coat." Bella shuddered. "Then there was James. Lean and pointy featured. We all thought Laurent was the leader because he was the one who spoke, but when the wind blew my scent in their direction things got really tense. James thought the Cullens had brought me as a snack, and made a move for me. Edward reacted...pretty badly. The rest of his family did as well. That's when the game began."

Everyone but Sam and myself had leaned forward listening to her story. Embry's legs were bouncing with anticipation. Paul looked aggravated as always, and Jarred never took his eyes off of Bella's face of concentration.

"See, vampires...some vampires have special abilities that they carried from their human lives. Alice, like I said before, can see the future. But the future changes. Her boyfriend Jasper can manipulate how you're feeling, keep you calm or amp you up. Edward can read minds.

"There were too many Cullens for James, Victoria, and Laurent to take on, so they left. When they got far enough away Edward began rambling about James. See, James has a special ability like the Cullens. His power is being an amazing hunter. James likes to play games with his food," she swallowed, "Edward protecting me as fiercely as he did turned hunting me into James' most exciting game. They took me back to their house and we made a plan. I needed to leave Forks to keep Charlie and Jacob safe," her eyes flitted to my face and back down to their hands.

"We knew James would be nearby, listening so it was decided that I would head to Phoenix and hide out. To get there I said some pretty horrible things to Charlie...to keep him from heading after me. It worked, and he stayed safe in the house with Rosalie and Esme watching from the outside. Carslile, Emmett, and Edward made up the hunting party. They tracked James while James tried to track me."

"That left you with...Alice and Jasper?" Sam questioned quietly. She nodded and continued:

"They drove me to Phoenix in just over a day and we stayed in a hotel by the airport. None of us left the room for a couple of days. We didn't even watch TV...just sat and waited for a phone call from the others. Then I made my first mistake. I didn't know if Charlie had talked to my mom yet, but I wanted her to know that at least for the moment I was okay. So I called her and left a message on the machine at home for her to get back to me as soon as possible.

"In the meantime, Alice had gotten a vision of a room with mirrors lining the walls.

James had seemed to change his plan of action. A call from Edward confirmed it, they had lost him. Edwasrd was going to meet me in Phoenix in six hours and then take me somewhere until the other Cullens could catch James. Alice and Jasper left me alone briefly to check us out of the hotel. That's when I got the call. I could hear my mom panicking on the other end of the line, and I tried to calm her, but then the voice cut off and James was talking to me." A few growls echoed across the kitchen. I looked to my left and Emily hand one hand clutched to her chest and the other over her mouth. Sam kept his gaze on Bella, but motioned for the other three to calm themselves so she could continue. She took a deep breath:

"He told me he wouldn't kill my mom if I ditched Alice and Jasper. I told him I would meet him in a few hours. He asked me about the ballet studio I went to as a kid. It was what Alice had seen in her vision. I told him I would do what I could.

"We were waiting for Edward's flight to get in. We were in the largest terminal, and I needed to use the bathroom. In a moment of inspiration I asked Jasper to come with, I needed his emotional influence to keep me from shaking out of myself with fear. I had no idea if I would be able to save my mother or not. The nearest bathroom, luckily for me, had two doors opening into separate sections of the terminal. I went in one and then ran, slipping out the other. I didn't stop running until I had gotten to a cab outside."

The pack nodded in unison. By the looks on their faces they were impressed by Bella's quick thinking, and even more-so by the fact that she so openly shared the leech's secrets with us. I looked back to her face unsure if she realized that one day we might have to use her information against them. She never looked up from our hands.

"I tossed all my money at the cab driver and told him where to take me. When I got to the studio it was dark, but the door was open. I got inside and heard my mom calling my name. I followed her voice to a closet but when I opened it she wasn't there...well, she was but just on a screen. James had found an old home movie of when I was a kid and used that to lure me to meet him. I had known since I was in the cab that I was going to die, and at that moment I was so happy that my mom was safe that I didn't even care.

"He appeared like a phantom. I tried to run but he flung me into a pillar. I was bleeding pretty bad from the back of my head, and I was dizzy. He tried to make me beg and scream for Edward...but," she finally looked up at me verging on apologetic, "you know how stubborn I can be. I refused." Her gaze dropped back down. "He stomped on my leg then. It fractured in a few places. Then I screamed.

"Edward showed up right after and started to fight James. It went back and forth for a while and James got the upper hand more often than not. Edward managed to grab me and tried to jump for the second floor balcony to get me out of the way, but James caught his foot and pulled us down. I crashed into some broken mirror on the floor and sliced an artery in my leg.

"That's when James bit me." I scanned her neck and couldn't find a scar, or a mark of any kind. I even tried moving her hair and did my best to get a peek at the other side. She smiled and her cheeks flushed at my tentative touches.

"Its a pain worse than I could have imagined," I felt her squeeze my hand. "Every nerve was on fire, I was being burned from the inside out. See, vampires bites are venomous. It paralyzes their prey with pain so that even weak vampires can feed. All I could do was squirm on the floor and scream...the Cullens showed up then. All of them but Esme and Rosalie. Emmett and Jasper grabbed James and held his arms still while Alice tore his head from his body. Carslile and Edward were with me talking about how I had lost a _lot_ of blood and didn't have much time left. Edward had a decision to make: suck the venom out and possibly kill me, or leave me alone and let me turn. Somehow he managed because I woke up in the hospital a few days later."

Everyone was quiet for a moment. She had given us more information on the bloodsuckers than any of us thought she would. Much to my chagrin, the information couldn't be used against the leech I wanted to kill most. What if he had let her turn? What if he hadn't been able to stop? I closed my hand around hers as my shoulders trembled.

I guess she realized where my train of thought had headed because she leaned away for a second and slipped an arm around my shoulders before swaying back and brushing her lips against my ear. "I'm fine. See? Still alive, Jake."

I 'hmmed' in agreement and pulled her closer to me. She was alive, and she was with me. Still I found myself pissed that I hadn't been able to be there for her then.

"Doesn't answer the question, though," Paul was slowly squeezed his hands into fists and then relaxed them, "why are you being hunted, now?"

"Victoria probably wants me dead because Edward killed her mate. According to a brief conversation with Laurent before I had headed to Phoenix, he was tired of James' and Victoria's shit. She helped James in all his endeavors and in turn he helped with hers. Laurent said not to underestimate her before he left. He was headed to Denali to live with some of the Cullen's friends. They don't eat people either. Last I heard he was still there, so I'm not sure if he is the vampire that was in my room or not, but it makes sense for Victoria to want 'an-eye-for-an-eye', so maybe she called on an old friend. She doesn't know Edward and I are over."

My heart flipped at her words. I knew at the very least that she still would probably want to take things slow, but I sensed no hurt in her final statement. That was a good step.

The room sank into silence. All eyes cast down as we thought. The only movement

and sound came from Emily who had busied herself with more cooking after Bella's story had ended. Sam's clear tone broke the silence:

"Thank you, Bella. Now that we know, we can start figuring out how to combat them and keep you safe." He drew himself up to his full height, and the planning began.

"Well we can't leave her unguarded," Jarred spoke up.

"Yeah, Feisty here will try to fight them," Paul grinned at Bella. _Feisty? They already gave her a nickname?_ I looked between my brothers and my mouth curved up into a small smile.

"Only if they start acting like you, Paul," Bella quipped. Paul shook his head at her but kept grinning, rolling his eyes.

"We can take shifts," Embry chimed in, "one person stays with Bella at all times while the rest patrol. That still leaves four of us to cover the woods."

"Good idea," Sam leaned forward and rested his hands on the back of Paul's chair. The wood groaned under his weight. He turned to Bella, and I could see his jaw working as he tried to figure out how to go about speaking to her like she was part of us. He looked to me briefly and then back to her. She was attentively staring back at Sam, awaiting his word. "What do you think, Bella?"

She tilted her head to the side as she thought. The tendons in her neck stretched beneath her skin as she did so. I had to restrain myself from leaning over and kissing it. I settled for looking at Sam.

"Well for one I am glad I have a say," her voice was quiet but genuinely pleased. "I don't like the idea of all of you putting yourselves in danger for my sake. I know hunting vampires is what you do, and I don't want any of you to feel like I'm saying you're not capable, I just...I've seen vampires in action all too frequently and I can't help but worry."

"What would make you feel better, Bells," I rubbed my thumb over the back of her hand, a ghost of a smile on my lips as I watched goosebumps rise up her hand only to disappear under her sleeve.

She looked bewildered for a moment seeming slightly uncomfortable with the question. Had she never been asked that? "Don't hide anything from me, even if it scares me. I want to know everything that's going on," her tone was soft and pleading," and if it's not too much, let me help where I can."

"What can you do, besides break bones," Paul snorted.

Her eyes were wide and pleading as she looked at Paul and the others. "I-I can help Emily with the cooking and take some of the load there...and I can clean so you guys don't have to worry about taking the time..." she trailed off and looked to Emily for help.

Emily was facing us now, wiping her hands on her apron. She was absolutely beaming at Bella, "I would love help with the cooking, you have no idea how much sleep I lose having to prepare meals for this pack of idiots," Emily's teeth gleamed as her smile became for all of us. "As for the cleaning, just be careful not to spoil them too much."

Bella nodded moved to get up, I let her go reluctantly and watched as she began stacking plates with her good arm, piling everything onto the central platter. She reached over and pulled the platter to her stomach, backing up as she did so and maneuvered her left hand under the middle. She lifted the platter with some effort and walked slowly to the kitchen looking very much like an inexperienced waitress.

"Well I guess it's settled," Sam looked over his shoulder as Bella lowering the dishes to the counter by the sink. He turned back, all business again. "Embry, Paul you two are together tonight run the borders. Jacob and I will team up and spread out around Forks. Jarred can take night watch at Bella's."

The corner of my mouth twitched as I fought a frown. I trusted Jarred with my life, and I knew he was imprinted to Kim, so that wasn't worrying me. I just felt like I hadn't had enough time with her yet. I had a week and three days to make up for. I wasn't going to fight Sam on it, though. I wanted to prove that even if I had imprinted, I was still a team player.

"I think Jake should take night watch tonight," Jarred said with a smirk, "get the warm fuzzies out of his system so his head can be back in the game tomorrow. You know because of...reasons." He looked between Bella, myself and finally at Sam who hung his head and sighed.

"Fine. Jacob take tonight, but you're on patrol tomorrow. Jarred you will stay with her then."

"I don't mind," Jarred shrugged.

"When's my turn," innuendo rolled off of Embry in waves. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, wiggling his eyebrows at me again.

"Fuck off, Embry," I spat, "just wait your turn and keep your hands to yourself! Better yet just stay in the woods!" He leaned back and held up his hands in surrender, and I couldn't help but wonder why he seemed shocked by my reaction. _He doesn't know you imprinted,_ I reminded myself. _Asshat will never let me hear the end of it._ I could almost hear him now: 'And just like that, a bevvy of women will never know the touch of Jacob Black because he decided to end his life early!'

Embry didn't think too highly about imprinting.

"I think Bella should decide, when the time comes, about who stays where," Sam's

words had a double meaning: Pipe the _fuck_ down. I grumbled and nodded.

A sharp hiss of pain brought my attention back to the kitchen. Bella was now trying to help Emily with the dishes. "We done, Sam?" I didn't look away from her as she pulled her injured hand from the hot water and made a face at the swollen purple mass. "I think she better get to the doctor. We waited too long already."

"We're done. See you tomorrow evening, Jacob."

We had just turned into her neighborhood when Bella spoke:

"I need a cover story fast," she lifted her right arm for emphasis, leaning against the passenger door. A shiny white cast covered her arm from mid-finger to her wrist. The hospital visit was straight forward, a few suspicious glances were shot in my direction, but nothing was said and in the end we made it out after a few hours.

"Just tell him you hit Paul."

"He'll want to know who Paul is and why I hit him."

"Say he tried to kiss you," I shrugged.

"You know well enough how Paul reacts to my shitty attempt at violence. What do you think he would do if Charlie came after him with a gun?" I sighed and pulled over to the curb a few houses down from hers. I put her truck and park and turned my body to hers.

"Then tell him I kissed you."

She flushed and seemed to find the floor of the cab very interesting. "Same problem, different person."

"You know I can take a bullet, right?"

"I don't care!"

Laughing, I reached over, hooked an arm around her waist and dragged her across the seat until her shoulder was firmly pressed against my chest. "I don't think I'm in any real danger, Bells."

"Wanna bet?"

"How about that forty bucks in your pocket?" I could nearly see the wheels turning in her head as she weighed the odds.

"...Deal, but you're going to need a few thousand more to cover the hospital bills," one of her tiny fingers poked me in the ribs.

I laughed and squeezed her waist. She was quiet, and I could tell she was still worried about Charlie.

"What's wrong, Bells?"

"This isn't going to work—the lying. I'm a shit liar. Plus he deals with liars all day so he can pick up on the tells." She picked at her cast, still looking at the floor of the cab.

"You are a shitty liar, no doubt about that."

"Well, thanks," I looked on from above as her brows furrowed and pinched together in the middle. I continued looking at her and nudged her, trying to get her to look at me. She refused. I rolled my eyes and looked at the radio's clock.

I must have zoned out because when she shook my leg five minutes have passed. She looked excited, her mouth curved up into a devious grin. It was so hot.

I couldn't help myself as I shared her smile, "whats that look for?"

"I figured it out," she replied simply, bouncing on the seat slightly. The side of her boob rubbed up against me once. Twice. Three times. I suppressed a groan and settled for using my arm around her waist to hold her still.

"Figured what out?"

"How not to lie to Charlie." I quirked a brow at her, not catching on. To be honest I was still preoccupied by the fact that her boob was still pressed against me.

"Kiss me, Jake."

My jaw dropped. I shut it quickly but not quick enough to hide it from her. She pressed closer to me, her lips brushed against my collarbone as she smiled against my skin.

"Seriously, Bells?"

"Something wrong?" She peered up at me through her thick lashes, and I nearly lost it. I saw the corner of her mouth twitch. She had seen my weak spot and was going in for the kill.

"No, no, nothing is wrong-"

"I thought you liked _trying_ ," her voice was so sweet it hurt. Despite myself I groaned and slumped against the door, my head hit the glass with a loud 'thunk'. I heard a giggle and felt her move as she pushed herself slowly up my body. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath trying to think of anything but the feeling of her chest against me.

I was a werewolf. A supreme predator. A vampire's worst nightmare. I was teeth, claws and primal instincts. And a hundred and ten pound girl had me cornered.I thought back to earlier in the day when I had been the confident one closing the distance between us. Is this how she felt when I did that to her? Turned on and terrified?

"This is payback isn't it," I questioned through tight lips.

"Oh you have no idea," her teeth flashed as she gave me another wicked grin.

"Rude," I muttered and turned my head. If I looked at her, and she still had that look on her face, I didn't know what I'd do. I toyed with the idea of taking her back to LaPush and finding a secluded area, but her words from earlier this morning came back to haunt me. _Slow and Steady_. At that moment I felt one of her nails lightly begin to trace the peaks and recesses of my torso through my shirt. I groaned again. "You don't fight fair, Bells."

Her head perked up, and I no longer felt her hot breath on my skin. "Well if you'd man

up and kiss me already, you wouldn't be having this problem," she taunted.

"Man up? Really?" I couldn't help but smile. Paul's nickname fit this new Bella perfectly.

"Yup. Or 'wolf-up' whichever suits you."

"You asked for it." Before she could respond I tightened my hold on her waist and flexed, removing any trace of space between our bodies. My eyes locked with hers, and I slowly rose from my prone position, making sure to straighten my posture to make our size difference more evident. Neither of us blinked as I lifted my free hand to cup her face. I brushed my thumb against her lip, which betrayed her by trembling. I slid my hand back and ran my fingers through the roots of her hair. Gently, I pulled and she compliantly tilted her head, bringing her lips closer to mine.

I leaned in drawing out the anticipation just like she had done in the theater. Two could play at this game, and I hated to lose. The whole time her eyes never left mine, and I wondered if she could see everything I was feeling plain as day.

I made a show of looking pointedly at her lips before I returned to her eyes and was rewarded by a shuddered breath on her part. That did it. I realized I was torturing myself as much as I was torturing her. I quickly pressed my lips against hers, being careful not to be as passionate as I felt. I didn't want this to backfire. I settled for a sweet, slow kiss. Our lips moved together like I knew they would. Her response was hesitant and shy, which just made me want to kiss her more. Instead I broke away, nipping her bottom lip as I pulled back.

I would have thought we had been getting hot and heavy by the way she was breathing. Her chest heaved as she worked to catch her breath.

"Happy now," I leaned my forehead against hers waiting for her to calm down. It took a while. I guessed having me so close might have been the issue but I wasn't going to let her go until I had my answer.

"Very yes," her answer came on an exhale. I let her go, laughed and turned. I reached for the stick shift and put the truck in gear to head the last few yards to her house. I kept my eyes on the road as she scooted away, primping in the visor mirror. She turned toward the door and I wondered if she was trying to cool her face on the glass.

"You're welcome," I parked the car in its usual spot on the side of the road. I opened the door, got out, and was about to close it when I heard her mutter.

"Ass." She got out, her arms folded over her chest and walked around to the front of the truck. She looked amazing when she pouted, too.

"Good. Now just kick it up a notch when you go inside," I nodded in the direction of her

front door.

"Oh yeah, gotta be pissed," she turned her head up and closed her eyes as she got in the zone. I had no idea what she was thinking about but when she lowered her head she had a fierce glint in her eye.

"Ready?"

"Just don't cry when I take your lunch money," she frowned and quickly moved past me to the door. I followed a few steps behind her, still grinning.

"Dad?" She called out and opened the door enough for her to squeeze through before trying to close it on my foot.

"Hey!" My voice echoed in the tiny foyer.

"Is that Jacob," Charlie's gravely voice carried in from the living room. Probably sitting there watching a game with a beer. I loved Charlie like a second father but sometimes he was so predictable. I didn't mind today, however, I was counting on him.

"It's me, Charlie," I answered.

I reached the entry to the living room and watched as Bella tried to head into the kitchen without saying anything. Unfortunately for her the game was on a commercial, so Charlie's passing glance turned into wide eyed horror. "Bells! What did you do to your arm?"

"It's just my hand, dad," she did her best to put her cast-covered arm behind her back.

"Tell me what happened, now." He pulled out his Chief Swan tone.

"I punched Jacob in the face," she was looking anywhere but in our direction, rocking from her heels to the balls of her feet.

"Why?" Charlie turned to look at me, checking my body for damage. I shrugged, and grinned wider.

"'Cause I kissed her." Bella was a better actress than I thought. Her look was downright mutinous.

Charlie looked between the two of us, Bella with her cast, and me with no marks to be had. Slowly he stood, beer in hand, and began a leisurely walk around the couch. The look on his face gave me no indication of what was going to happen next, and for a second I was worried that I would have to ask my dad for forty dollars.

When he reached me, Charlie gave me the once over cops did that sent a chill down your spine before he jutted his free hand out at me.

"About damn time, son!"

"Dad!" Bella's face turned beet red while her father and I shook hands, smiling at each other.

"What? It was bound to happen sometime soon the way you two were going. I pay attention," Charlie tapped the side of his head.

"Fucking traitor!" She covered her mouth with her hand as soon as the words slipped out.

"Isabella Marie," Charlie growled a warning.

"Sorry," she mumbled, looking at her feet.

"Don't be too hard on her Charlie," I put a hand on his shoulder. "Her hand hurts."

"I don't know, Jake. You don't want to press charges, do you?" Bella's eyes nearly popped out of her head. I stifled a laugh and shook my head.

"Naw, but you know what you could do? Have Bella come over after school for the next week. Billy's cooking sucks and I'm tired of fish fry-"

"You watch your mouth about Harry's fish fry, boy!"

I held up my hands in surrender. "Sure, sure. I was just saying that I've been eating the same thing for weeks and it'd be nice to have some home cooked meals for a while." As if to punctuate the point, my stomach growled.

"Uhhh, can't really cook right now, Jake," Bella waved her cast at us.

I shrugged, "I'll be your hands. Just sit on the counter and tell me what to do."

"You call those garbage lids of yours _hands_ ," she snorted.

"She'd be glad to," Charlie gave her a pointed look. She frowned and headed into the kitchen. She was so convincing I didn't know if she was acting anymore or not. Bella came back a moment later with a plethora of take out menus.

"Well I am _not_ cooking tonight, and I'm not in the mood for lessons, so what do you want for dinner," She shoved the menus into Charlie's hands.

Charlie looked through the menus and settled on Chinese food. "Want to stay for dinner, Jacob?"

"Awww, Dad!" She almost looked like she was going to stamp her foot. I covered my smile with a fist.

"Remember who punched who," Charlie looked down at her, clearly not amused. He pointed to the kitchen and sent her away to order before going back to sit on the couch to watch his game. I joined, choosing to sit in the arm chair to the left of him.

I could hear her ordering clearly from where I was. Thankfully I heard no trace of anger in her voice, in fact I was sure she was smiling.

After dinner I had said goodnight to Charlie, who smiled, and Bella who was still pretending to be mad. I left their house grinning like an idiot and headed off in the direction of home. I walked long enough so that I was out of sight of their house and turned into the woods. I circled the Swan's house until I was in the treeline outside Bella's window.

I sat, leaned against a tree and waited.

A couple hours later I heard Charlie snore. Grabbing a couple small rocks, I walked to the base of the house. I was prepared to begin tossing the stones at Bella's window, but as if on cue, the window slid open quietly.

I held onto a low hanging branch and kicked off of the wall soundlessly, propelling myself further up into the tree. I repeated the process until I was high enough to jump for her window. I crossed the distance easily and pulled myself inside.

Bella was sitting on her bed covered in blankets. Completely covered. All I could see was her face. I realized it couldn't have been more than thirty degrees outside. I closed her window and turned back, catching her eye.

I had no idea what to do next. There was an ancient rocking chair in the corner next to me, and a desk chair by the foot of her bed. We had been friends for a long time, but I hadn't been in her room in years. It hadn't changed much, except for maybe some pictures of friends on a bulletin board and a new computer.

"I'm not contagious," she muttered.

"How do you know?" I folded my arms and tilted my head trying to look disgusted.

"Well if I am, you're already exposed since you decided to kiss me."

"I decided?" I shook my head, "Well I'm doomed. Might as well go dig my grave now." I started to turn.

"Shut up, and get over here, Jake," her laugh was low, and it looked like she was having trouble keeping her head up. She scooted back giving me half of the bed and laid down. She looked like one of those Russian nesting dolls wrapped up like that.

I moved across the small space in two strides. I kicked off my shoes before pivoting myself and lying on the bed with my head on one of her pillows. They smelled like they recently come from the store. My feet still hung off the edge of the bed, but that was fine, normal people didn't have beds sized for people like me.

Bella was lying on her side watching me get settled in quietly. Though she was covered in multiple layers, I still noticed a shiver. I reached out and pulled her closer, and got a contented sigh in response. Her bundled head laid on my shoulder. Her smile was tired.

"Hey..." she blinked sleepily.

"Hi," I smiled back. Her eyes drooped and the corners of her mouth turned up even more.

"Like my acting?" She murmured through a yawn.

"Loved it. Very moving. I nearly cried in anger at my actions." I rubbed her arm through the blanket slowly. It was only a matter of time before my body heat warmed her enough to shed her layers. "Like my excuse for keeping you in LaPush for the week?"

"Very smooth, Jake. I would applaud you but I am currently a burrito." I nearly choked as I fought the laugh that threatened to fill the tiny upstairs of her house. She was just lying there still as can be with a small smile on her rosy lips.

"You have no idea what you're saying do you," I asked when I was finally sure I wouldn't wake Charlie.

"None whassoever." Her reply was heavily slurred.

"Then quit talking...No, wait, keep talking. Does the Bellarito have any more words of wisdom?"

"Shaddup," she made a move to roll away, but I stopped her. Poor girl had no fight left in her. She simply gave up and I felt her dead weight against me.

"Night Bells." The only answer I got was a soft 'hmmmm' as she nuzzled closer to me.

I fought sleep as long as I could but it had been over thirty hours since I had last been in a bed. It didn't help that I was lying next to a beautiful woman, that every thirty minutes or so would roll back, undo a layer of blanket and then roll back next to me. After about three layers her arms were exposed. When she returned to my embrace her cast covered hand laid gently on my chest. Her fingers gently stroking at the worn cotton.

I managed to make it until she pried the last blanket from her body. She was wearing one of those strappy pink tank tops and cotton shorts that were in a watermelon print. Every bit of skin that had just been covered by the last bastion of the blankets was glistening with sweat. I swallowed and allowed my eyes to travel up her body. She had tucked one of her long shapely legs over my thigh. I reached out and lightly ran my fingers up her shin, smiling softly when she shivered and moved her knee up more. I did it again, and she shook her head and mumbled something unintelligible. I decided to be good and put my hand back on my stomach. My gaze wandered further still to her small middle, perfectly visible under the tight material. _Why doesn't she wear this stuff more often_ , I wondered. Her usual clothes were fitted, but not super fitted like this top was. It showed off her slender hourglass figure perfectly.

Further up, I found a sight that would forever be seared into my brain. Just barely visible from under the arm she had thrown across me, the top of her breasts peeked out of the neckline of her tank top. I had never seen this much of a living breathing woman. Magazines? Sure. Websites? Of course. Draped across me in a bed? Nope.

My heart started to pound. My eyes grazed her face on the way to point fixedly at the ceiling. Sweet, unassuming, and smiling in her sleep. _Fuuuuuuuuuck_ , I inhaled deeply, trying to ignore the sweet scent that filled my nostrils and forced my eyes closed.

_Bacon_? I shot upright, my stomach woke me with a roar. _Mmm, coffee._ I wondered how I would get to the food without Charlie noticing me. I reached out for the small girl next to me to figure out a plan and came up empty. I frowned and slid on my shoes.

Bella's bedroom door opened quietly, and I crept into the hall. It was all quiet from Charlie's room, and the hall bath's door was open revealing it to be empty. I was equally as quiet on the stairs, moving down one step at a time, testing for any creaks in the old wood. I got to the foot of the stairs with no problems. I padded over to the front door and peeked out of the frosted glass. No cruiser.

_She's making me breakfast?_ My heart and stomach both did a flip at the same time. I walked, confidently now, through the living room and stopped in the archway that separated it from the kitchen. I leaned against the side of the arch and watched her work, still in her pajamas, frying what seemed to be a whole pound of bacon. There was already foot tall stack of pancakes on the table, and a fresh pot of coffee had been brewed. I inhaled deeply and leaned my head against the archway, admiring the view of my woman making me breakfast. I couldn't decide if she was pretending not to notice me. The way she moved, rocking her hips from side to side as she balanced on the balls of her ridiculously tiny feet, made me crazy. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, and out of the way of the splattering grease, and I couldn't help but to worry about the scalding liquid burning her.

I stepped forward and moved up silently behind her, sliding my hands over her

shoulders. She squeaked and tipped back as she lost her balance, falling back into my body. I squeezed her shoulders.

"Leaving me in bed on our first night together? Rude."

"Quit your bitching and eat your breakfast," her words were harsh, but she turned and gave me a bright smile. No way I could be mad at my fiery, feisty Bella. This was quite the improvement over teary, depressed, vampire obsessed Bella.

"Yes ma'am," I left a chaste kiss on her cheek and I let her go. I headed to the table, and sat. The wood groaned as I propped my head up on my fists and watched her work. She quickly finished with the bacon, brought the pile over, and set it next to the pancakes. She paused only to ruffle my hair before turning and beginning to work on the eggs. Bella cracked all twelve and beat them together with the milk she already had poured in the mixing bowl. "Looks like Emily won't have too much to teach you. You are pretty good at cooking for

wolves."

The beaming grin she shot at me blew me away. I could easily read from the light in her eyes how happy my statement had made her. She went back to whisking the eggs and went back to swinging her hips.

"Juicy..." I paled as the word slipped past my lips. She ducked her head, giggling.

Once the eggs were done she slipped into the seat across from me and served the both of us. Two pancakes for her. The rest for me. Two strips of bacon for her. The rest for me. A spoonful of eggs for her, the rest for me.

"You're a natural, Bells," I complimented her between giant bites of food. I tried my best to remember that I wasn't with the pack in Emily's house. I was in my woman's kitchen eating a delicious meal that she prepared especially for me. "Thanks for breakfast."

"Thanks for keeping me warm," she lowered her head to take a bite of eggs. Damn. Even the way she ate was fascinating.

"Sure seemed to manage cooking on your own," I had taken notice of the way she compensated for her broken appendage. Instead of using her hand to hold the mixing bowl she had used her arm to cradle it to her. Even when working with the frying pan, she simply grabbed a hand towel and used it to make the handle bulky enough for her immobilized fingers to grab onto.

"Now you can watch me cook all week. I'll try and make something juicy for you." She winked and I nearly dribbled coffee down my front. For someone that wanted to take things slow and steady, she sure was doing her damnedest to push me to my breaking point.

"Don't hurt yourself," she took a drink from her own mug, as calm and collected as I'd ever seen her.

"So what brought on sexy Bella," I quirked a brow and looked her up and down.

"What do you mean?" She leaned back in her chair, hands dropping to her lap.

"You're just...you're usually so shy, and when you're not shy you're still quiet. You used to fumble to make full sentences when someone complimented you and now it seems like every word out of your mouth is calculated to drive me insane."

"I'm tired of being what I was. Quiet, locked in my own head, always over analyzing any little thing I said. Wondering if I was giving the wrong impression. Then there was not saying anything because I knew I was no fun to be around after Edward. I decided, y'know, since we're doing the trying thing with us, that I would try to be more straight forward and honest when I speak. I used to be the Queen of miss-communication if you don't remember," she frowned and we both sat there for a minute, remembering the mass of mixed signals she used to give off.

"I'm trying to let myself feel other emotions than just sadness, and despair. Finally allowing myself to get angry at you was...much needed. I forgot what anger felt like for a while. Then, I was thinking last night, before you showed up, I forgot what a lot of things feel like. So if I feel like being angry, I'll be angry. If I want to flirt, I'll flirt."

"Seems you like the latter a lot," I took a quick sip, hoping not to be caught unaware again.

"Flirting was usually met with my being pushed away in my previous relationship," she stated it as a matter of fact, and nothing more. "Its nice to have someone that reacts in a positive manner. That flirts back."

"Making me almost lose my shit does _not_ count as flirting. Its just cruel." I did my best to sound angry, but my overwhelming happiness at Bella's self-induced transformation made it very difficult.

"If your face wasn't so priceless, I'd stop, but I don't see that happening anytime soon."

"Not if that filth keeps running out your mouth," she laughed and leaned closer over the table, giving me a very open view of the valley between her breasts.

"We both know you love it. Quit lying to yourself, Jake."

Tearing my vision from her chest was certainly the hardest thing I would do all day. I prevailed and sunk low in my chair, my knees knocked into hers. "The guys'll love it too, Bella. Too much."

"Oh, so because you're all super close they get to hear the details of what goes on with us behind closed doors?" Her tone hit me like a punch in the gut.

"It's not like that its...it's a wolf thing. I can't help it." I frowned at her and raised my hands in a 'nothing-I-can-do-about-it' gesture.

"What's a wolf thing," her tone was more accepting, but still wary.

"When we phase-"

"Transform?"

"It's called phasing...when we phase and become wolves we have this, like, hive mind, I guess. We can hear any thought passing through the others heads. It has its uses, but mostly it just annoys the crap out of me. I've only met Jarred's girlfriend once or twice—she's really shy, almost never says a word, but because of the pack link I have heard the nastiest pillow talk come out of that girl's mouth all because Jarred couldn't quit thinking about it."

Bella didn't look pleased at my example of Kim. I didn't blame her. The next time we saw Kim, she was convinced we didn't like her because none of us could look her in the eye. Jarred knew better than to explain why so he just sat next to her, rubbed her back, and tried to convince her that it was all in her head. It sucked.

"So..." I tilted my head at her. She seemed to be working something out. Finally she shrugged and went back to eating. I gaped. She had a mouth full of pancake when she finally

looked at me again and swept her fork in front of her, imploring for me to explain.

"You're not mad? Not going to tell me to keep my thoughts to myself?"

Bella shook her head and swallowed. She wiped her mouth with a napkin before she spoke:

"You're a teenage boy. What else would any of you be thinking about?"

"Oh ye of little faith," she rolled her eyes.

"Seriously. Not that I'm a big fan of Jarred's girlfriend's uhhh...pillow talk running through your head, but I mean it is kind of flattering that you'd be out there risking your life and my watermelon shorts are all you can think about. Stupid—but flattering. So think what you want, let them see, I don't care. It's not going to change what I do when I'm around you. I've changed for people so much in the past that it became a bad habit. I've decided that it's not going to happen anymore. If I change it'll be for myself."

I reached my hand across the table and rested it on top of hers. "Bella Swan, you amaze me."

"Yeaaaahhh. I'm pretty awesome," she nodded somberly before cracking a grin.

The ticking of the clock on the kitchen wall pounded in my ears, making it difficult to truly appreciate how truly happy she seemed. I had hoped that it wasn't just her new outlook, but that I had somehow managed to make that stupidly beautiful grin on her face possible. No matter how much I tried to ignore it, the clock's noise pounded my ear drums. I frowned as I turned away from her, hoping to scare the clock into quiet when the time the two hands pointed out made shot a jolt of purpose through my core.

"You're late," my frown deepened.

"Oh yeah...school," she stood and tried to grab the now empty dishes from the table. I followed suit and put my hand on top of hers.

"You're already missing first period, Bells. I'll come back and clean after I drop you off. It's the least I can do since you made me finally full after two days."

Her full bottom lip pushed out and glistened under the florescent lighting. I wanted nothing more than to lean down and bite that lip, but that wouldn't fix the problem we were already in.

"Fine, if you're sure," she looked at all of the dishes piled up in the sink, and then over to the ones stacked on the table.

"I'm positive, now go get ready. I'll play the gentleman and stay down here."

Though she tried to cover it, the relief on her face at my words was evident, leading me to believe that though she knew what the little bits of her body she did show off did to me, that she wasn't ready for anything more. I was fine with this. Her current attitude was refreshing, and interesting.

I squeezed her hand, and let go. I decided to keep myself busy with starting the dishes as I heard the light squeaking of the staircase. I vaguely took in the sounds of doors opening and closing upstairs as I methodically scrubbed dish after dish.

This had to have been the most interesting day of my life to date, and it was all thanks to Bella's stubborn streak. Sure her hard head could be annoying sometimes, but when she used it for good—especially when she used it to help herself, it was an amazing thing. Only Bella, who's sadness had been at its peak less than a month before, could to simply decide she wouldn't be sad anymore and just stop feeling sad. It didn't even seem as if she was ignoring it, it was like she just didn't care anymore.

 

 

It was two thirty in the afternoon, and it was absurdly sunny for Forks. I tried to peer through the sea of cars towards the stair case that lead up between two of the buildings, but I was having a tough time with the blinding light coming from the windshields.

Students began to file down the stair case and off into the parking lot to stand next to their cars. They talked loudly about the day's events, about plans for the weekend, and stripped off layers of clothing as they spoke. I simply reclined against the driver's door of her truck, folded my arms and waited.

The day had been almost painfully long. After I had dropped her off at Forks High School, I did as I promised and headed back to her place to finish the dishes. That took all of an hour. I didn't want to stay in her place all day so I headed home, needing a shower and a change of clothes.

I decided to take her truck back to the reservation and give myself time to look it over. Sam hadn't said anything about needing me today, and I wasn't planning on phasing. I didn't want to share the insanity inducing side of Bella just yet.

When I pulled into my front yard, Dad rolled out to meet me, he had that wily look about him that he got when he was about to try and talk girls with me.

"So, son...how'd it go?" He was doing his best to look disinterested in my response, but I caught the look he gave me from under his pronounced brow.

"...Fine." I wasn't going to give him any more than that.

"C'mon. Share with your old man! Becca and Rach never had a problem talking about boys with me." He seemed almost hurt. I rolled my eyes but decided to drop to sit on the porch next to him. We had just gotten over him not helping me when I first phased, and were on better terms than we had been in years. Lack of secrets will do that to a relationship.

"Yeah but that's because none of you have any shame, or boundaries." I remembered seeing the three of them seated around our small dining table, heads pressed together, discussing _how_ a guy kissed and what it meant. That was fine, but when the conversation between my sisters had turned to length and why size matters, my dad didn't do what a normal man would have and leave. Oh no. He began asking about girth. I spent the next two days at Quil's house wondering if anyone had invented mind bleach yet.

"Seriously," he scoffed, "I am a tribal elder for a reason. I know a lot about a great many things. Ladies happen to be one of my specialties."

I snorted and shook my head, but my resolve was waning.

"Bella seems different," he remarked casually.

"She is," I agreed.

"Thought she was going to tip my chair when she showed up yesterday...and since when does she have a sailor's mouth?" He was laughing under his breath.

"Bella finally decided she wasn't going to dwell on the leech anymore." I continued on explaining what she had said to me in the kitchen earlier that morning. If there was anything I could say about my dad, it was that he is easy to talk to. He offered no input, until I had stopped speaking.

"Sounds like she got her spunk back."

"Oh you have no idea." I leaned my head back against the support for the awning.

"You don't sound pleased."

I lowered my eyes to his face and then sighed. "She's using her woman powers for evil...mostly at the expense of my manhood."

"Go on..." He leaned forward in his chair, forearms resting on the thick wool blanket that covered his legs. His eyes lit up, genuinely pleased that I was coming to him with some sort of issue.

"It's like...no. She _knows_ exactly how to push my buttons. It seems like every little thing she does is made with the plan to bring me to my knees. What's worse is, its bad when I can tell she's intending to make me squirm, but its unbearable when she does it without realizing."

Dad laughed. It was a low rumble that spread out and filled the yard. His eyes were full of understanding and sympathy.

"Reminds me a lot of your mother. Always one step ahead, drunk on the power of being able to bring me to my knees. She kept a balance of spicy and sweet, but never once did she let me have the illusion that I was in control. Both of us were deeply in love, but when it came to it I was just along for the ride. Loved every minute of it. Your mother was a force of nature."

I nodded and patted his knee. I knew how sad he got when we talked about mom.

"If I said I didn't enjoy it, I would be lying," I admitted. "It's refreshing to see her so confident. She is raw, somehow. Unfiltered and completely free. She doesn't even care about what the guys may hear or see."

"It's good to hear she's letting go of the strangle hold she had on herself. Next time I see her, I hope she's in a better mood."

"I won't let her tip you over, Dad, but if hair pulling starts, I'm out."

That was that. We sat there for a few more minutes in silence before Harry showed up to take him back to the Clearwater's. I walked inside my house, headed straight for the shower, and ran the water cold. Lord knows I needed it.

I passed the rest of the hours by working on her truck. Nothing was really wrong with it, but I tightened everything down, changed the oil, and wiped off the dashboard before I headed back to the school.

Bella's classmates quickly took notice of me standing off by myself. The closest group was huddled together, doing their best to take peeks when they were sure I wasn't looking. I kept watch on the stairs that lead to the school grounds, and I was sure she appeared as if by my will.

She was slow coming down the stairs, painfully slow compared to the group that surrounded her. Somehow she had become the hub, and they all moved around with her at the center. Last year Bella would have been painfully uncomfortable and would have ducked her head back into the hood of her jacket. Now she answered every question in turn, smiling as she did so. At least with two of them. I recognized one as that Newton guy and I found myself picking apart his stance, his proximity, and his facial expressions. The kid was completely infatuated with Bella. From behind Newton, a brunette and a blonde scowled at Bella's back.

Bella was taking no notice due to being deep in conversation with a black haired girl. She seemed mousey demeanor, but was laughing heartily at whatever Bella was saying. The girl hiked a pair of dark rimmed glasses up her nose and stepped off the sidewalk onto the asphalt with Bella close behind.

The blonde and the brunette followed Bella, Newton and the girl with glasses to a mid-nineties Ford truck. Newton walked to the back, pulled down the tail gate and sat, listening intently to Bella speak. She was reserved in her movements, but her face was animated as she leaned close to the girl with glasses.

"Hello," Jacob looked down and took notice of the blonde and brunette that had previously been with Bella's group. They were both attractive, nearly as pale as Bella, but from the soft lines around their mouths and foreheads, they seemed more accustomed to sneering than smiling. Still, here they were, small smiles on their painted faces, staring at me lustfully.

"Hi," I gave them a quick smile, trying to be polite. I looked over their shoulders at Bella who was still deep in conversation with the black haired girl. _Save me_ , I implored her with my thoughts. _Lets get the hell out of here already_!

"I'm Lauren," the blonde girl spoke putting a hand to her chest, "and this is Jessica. Who are you?" The look Lauren gave me reminded of me how Bella had been in the truck after the hospital. I shuddered, which made the girl smirk.

"Jacob Black," I looked down my nose at her before I changed focus back to Bella.

"So why are you here, are you, like, Bella's chauffeur?" Jessica's voice was mean. I didn't like the sound of it.

"Where can I get one?" I felt Lauren's eyes on my body and began to feel very uncomfortable. Usually staring girls didn't bother me, but Lauren had a way about how she looked at me that made me feel naked.

Newton seemed to have noticed the two girls' absence and began scanning the parking lot. He spotted me leaning on Bella's truck and his eyes widened. I saw him tap Bella on the shoulder, and clear as day his lips formed the words 'the hulk is here for you'. She looked up and quickly found where I was. Her face lit up, and she waved at me. I waved back ignoring the two girls that stood too close.

Bella hugged the black haired girl goodbye and walked off without a word to Newton. Kid looked crushed. She hitched her backpack up her shoulder and took long sure strides towards me. I moved between the two girls, who parted like the sea, and opened my arms for her.

The force of her hug took me by surprise. I felt her throat vibrate against my chest as she made a contented sound. I smoothed her hair to her head. "How was your day?"

"'S alright. Nothing really interesting happened. Ate with my usual friends at lunch. Angela seemed really happy to have me...uhh...talking again."

"The others weren't?"

"Not so much, no." She shrugged.

"Ready to go, then?"

"Your place? I seem to remember being maneuvered into cooking for you." I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Right behind you," I side stepped and slid my hand from her hair to her backpack and pushed a little to get her moving. Easier said than done. Hunting vampires was no where near as terrifying as the standoff brewing before me.

Lauren and Jessica were standing side by side, arms crossed, leaning heavily onto their respective hips. If looks could kill, Bella would be totally screwed. I had never seen such malice come from a couple of teenage girls.

Bella's own feet were planted in a wide stance. She slung her backpack off her shoulders and into my chest. I held onto it just to have something to do with my hands. Bella's own arms folded and she looked at them like she was happy to see them. Considering the mouth that Bella 2.0 had, this was going to be bad.

"The hell do you want, Lauren?" I let a breath out slowly. _Okay, not so bad._

"Just wondering why there is no justice in this world," Lauren spat, "first Cullen, now some collage guy. I wondered why you were M.I.A. so long these last few months. Probably spent all your time naked on the floor of some frat house!" The blonde looked triumphant.

"I would ask about your road rash, but to be honest, I don't feel like throwing up today," Jessica added.

"Do you have anything better to do than speculate on my love life?" Bella seemed genuinely confused and looked between the three of us. I shrugged.

"She didn't deny it," Lauren rolled her eyes to meet Jessica's, her sneer widening.

"Nope."

"Are you trying to make me mad, Lauren? 'Cause if you are, you'll have to try a lot harder than that." Bella ran a hand through her hair to pull it out of her face. Her body language didn't feel angry to me, so I wordlessly walked around the three of them and put Bella's backpack in the bed of the truck.

"When did you get a backbone?" Jessica's high voice floated into my ear.

"I got a backbone when I decided not to let petty, jealous troglodytes dictate my mood."

"What did you just call us?" Lauren leaned forward, arms shaking at her sides.

"Look it up, you do know how to read, don't you? Of course you don't. You spend all your free time in Tyler's backseat giving teary hand jobs to a guy who won't even remember you in two years." _Ouch._ Points to Bella for the nonchalant delivery but holy shit that was the meanest thing I'd ever heard her say. I guess it really hit home with Lauren because she swore at Bella and ran off.

"Bitch!" Jessica fumed.

"Oh go eat a bag of dicks, Jess," Bella sighed, "better yet, go share them with Lauren, from what I've heard Tyler say, she needs the practice."

There was silence and then the sound of shoes thunking on asphalt as the other girl ran after her friend.

I tried to gauge Bella's state of mind. She seemed calm, and collected, as if the whole prior conversation hadn't even happened. Girls were scary.

"LaPush?" She smiled at me and walked around the cab to the passenger door. The door groaned open and she hopped onto the seat. I got in and switched on the truck before putting it into gear. The truck roared as I headed out of the parking lot and onto the highway. I couldn't help but look over at her every few seconds. She was completely at ease, her hands resting in her lap while she looked out the window at the blurry trees. After a few miles of this she finally caught on and blinked impatiently up at me.

"What?" She looked from me to the road and back.

"You are terrifying," Bella seemed pleased with my response and held out a hand for me. I took it and stroked her palm with my thumb.

We sat like that in silence until we got back to my place. When we walked in the house was still dark as I had left it. We had the house to ourselves. The florescent light shuddered on as we walked through my small living room toward the kitchen. She dropped her bag on the dining table and followed me in, making a reach for the fridge.

"We're going to have to go grocery shopping if I'm going to feed you for a week," she said over her shoulder.

"Sure sure. We can go whenever you want." I was anticipating more of her cooking when she brushed past me and headed for the table. She started piling books and folders onto the faded wood.

"You're going to do homework?"

"You'd prefer I do you instead?" She tossed her hair over her shoulder and gave me a smoldering stare.

"Well, yeah." I shrugged. It was obvious what I wanted.

"Slow it down, Speed Racer," she reached over and pulled me closer by one of my belt loops. I stumbled forward, when I felt a soft hand brace my neck. I stopped my momentum by flexing my core. Her eyes popped into view as she rose on her tip toes to place a light kiss on my lips. She pulled back and smiled at me, "don't hurt yourself."

"I think your inability to walk and breathe at the same time is rubbing off on me," I grinned back and righted myself. She let me go and sat, sifting through the piles of papers and books on the table.

"Play your cards right..." I barely heard her over the rustle of notebook paper.

I sat next to her and watched her work. She was painfully organized in the way she

took notes. A pile of felt tip pens in all colors lay above her notebook. She used colors for titling the different sections of notes, and black for the information. I noticed as she worked that she had been going in order of the rainbow. My head shook as I smiled at her look of concentration, of course Bella 2.0 had to be a bit anal retentive.

Two topics later, a howl shook the glass of my front window. I shot to my feet recognizing the resonance that could only be Sam's. My shoes toppled over as I pried them off my feet. My shirt was on the floor soon after.

Bella stood now, her eyes wary. "What's going on, Jake?"

"No idea, but I'm going to find out. Just stay inside until I come back, shouldn't be too long." I leaned down and kissed the top of her head quickly before heading out and closing the door.

I hopped off of my porch and began to undo the button of my shorts. My house was pretty isolated, the nearest neighbor was at least a mile away so I could phase where I wanted without being seen. I had just undone my zipper when a faint 'eep' caught my attention. I turned to see Bella in the window with a hand shielding her eyes.

"Creep!"

"Shut up," her quiet reply. The curtains rustled closed.

Not wanting to push my luck I walked into the treeline before I stripped and phased. I barely had time to right myself before everyone's thoughts flashed through my mind.

_Two leeches!_ _Its not even my birthday,_ Paul crowed.

_Focus, Paul,_ Sam reprimanded, _this isn't going to be as easy as you would like to believe_.

_They're heading along the boundary going East._ Embry was about twelve miles behind the bloodsuckers.

_I'll come up from the South and head them off at the Eastern boundary_ , I began to sprint, ducking and weaving through trees. Everything was a blur, it took me only forty seconds to reach the border thirty miles away. I veered left and continued along the line that separated our lands from the Cullen's. Though I didn't have to worry about the Cullens anymore I kept to my side of the line.

I smelled them before I saw them. I caught the pheromones of a woman, and the musk of a man mixed in with the rotting corpse smell. The man was a bit faster than his counterpart. He was looking behind him, saying something when I sprang though a line of bushes, hitting him dead in the chest with my paws. I noticed a darker pallor beneath my feet. _Laurent?_ I was leaning down to bite when I was hit full force in my side by the female. I flew several feet, but I turned and landed on my paws. A snarl ripped through me as I saw the female from Bella's description.

_It's them. Victoria and Laurent_. A barrage of reassurances and snarls entered my mind. Laurent was on his feet again, but I wasn't focused on him. Victoria stood a few feet in front of her male counterpart sneering at me. I moved to attack, but as soon as I did, she crouched and jumped up into the towering trees.

I settled for Laurent, but this time he met me head on. His claws dug into me as he tried to push me away from his neck. I snapped at him a few times but came up with nothing but air. His look was that of intense concentration. The vampire finally managed to push me away and back up a few steps.

We circled for a few seconds, feinting attacks, but that grew old quickly. We both rushed the other, but this time no connection was made. A few futile attacks were made on both sides, we each seemed to move just before the other connected. We wove around each other in the small space. Dodging Laurent took all my concentration. I didn't have enough time to call out to my brothers to see how soon I would be getting back up. He just kept coming, fluidly moving around my body like he was made of water. Finally as he was moving past my front, I aimed an attack a few inches behind him instead of going for his head. I got a mouth full of dirty smelly dreadlocks. My stomach heaved at the taste but I kept my muzzle clamped shut, and jerked Laurent back to the ground.

He flailed wildly at my face, his claws frantically trying to find purchase. I shook my head fiercely and kept moving to thwart his attempts.

Suddenly I felt a weight on my back as talons sank into the meat behind my shoulder blades. I felt my skin pop as Victoria's nails pierced me. My whole body shook, trying to toss the female off of my back, but she just dug in further. It hurt, but I knew that it would begin to heal as soon as I could get loose.

Victoria let out a shriek that would make a banshee cower. My ears began to ring, and all sound was robbed from me. Her hands began to drag down my back, ripping me open. I yelped and lost grip on Laurent. I began to spin as I craned my neck back, trying to reach an extremity of Victoria's.

I had left myself open. My shoulder began to burn and for a second I thought Laurent was lighting me on fire. I began to panic and tried to spin away from the flames but they followed me everywhere I went. I looked back to see Laurent with his face buried into the fur on my shoulder. Laurent was biting me. But it wasn't just that he was hanging onto me with his mouth, no that would have been easy. He had his fingers knotted into my fur and was using his teeth to rip and tear mouth size pieces of flesh from my body.

I watched as he pulled back and spit a chunk of my flesh onto the pine needles in front of me. The fire in my shoulder was going worse and my leg was starting to tremble as I tried to stay on my feet.

Finally I felt the vibrations of twelve galloping paws headed in my direction. They were close. I couldn't let them see me shaking, and spinning like I was chasing my tail. I needed to think of something quickly to get the both of them off of me.

I dead weighted allowing my injured leg to collapse beneath me. I fell onto my side and rolled. My head rested against the leaves and pine needles that covered the forest floor. All I could see was a pair of legs thrashing. There was a hard mass under my shoulder. _I did it,_ I projected my thought to the pack, _I pinned one of the leeches!_

Victoria launched off my back and into the trees as the vibrations of my brother's feet shook my brain. They broke into the small area and Paul's gaping maw snatched up Laurent's legs quickly.

_Get up, Jacob_ , Sam was circling the scene watching as Paul used Laurent as a tug toy. The sound of teeth against stone echoed through the canopy. I tried several times to right myself, only to fall back to the soft earth. My paws twitched as I fought to keep from whining as the venom ran through me.

_I can't. Not on my own,_ my response was sullen. Then Jarred was at my side while I attempted yet again to stand. I barely managed even with him using his body to keep me from slumping back to the ground. Paul pulled Laurent from under me and Embry quickly jumped on his upper half, enveloping one of the vampire's shoulders in his mouth. They shook Laurent, their heads moving in opposing directions. There was a sharp crack. Laurent cried out in pain. There was a small line spreading across the vampire's torso that grew with every snap of my brother's necks.

_How bad is it,_ Sam came to stand next to me as he watched the scene impassively.

_The female shredded my back-that's healing just fine,_ I responded, _but the male tore into me with his teeth. My leg is on fire._

A murmur of worry spread through the pack. None of us had been bitten before, and normally we wouldn't have thought anything of it. But Bella's words were clear in all our minds:

'Vampires are venomous.'

_Lets finish this quick, then. Do it, Jacob._ Sam sat.

I picked up my paw and felt another flame shoot through my leg. Despite myself I whined, but I continued to move, hopping on my front foot, to stand between Jarred and Paul. Laurent's eyes widened as I neared. His dreads whipped through the air as he began to thrash harder. I wheezed out what I hoped he took as a laugh and took a snap, my fangs barely grazing his face. Laurent broke and began to scream for Victoria to save him.

My teeth crunched through his head, silencing his screams for help. This was the hard part, their skin was thick and I imagined that this was what chewing granite felt like. It felt good though, not just because I was killing a bloodsucker, but because the pressure I had to exert to finally shatter his skull took my mind off of the fire in my left leg.

I jerked my neck and snapped his head clean off of his body. My jaw slacked and the ball of stone to the floor. Laurent's cracked silent scream slowly rolled away. I let Paul and Embry rip the body apart.

The fire hadn't gone past my shoulder, which made me optimistic about my survival, but to my chagrin I wasn't healing either. This revelation is what was keeping me from enjoying the sight of my brothers as they celebrated our kill. Sam and Jarred had phased and were tearing branches off trees to make a bonfire. Jarred was still covered in my blood, it was so thick that I couldn't see the skin on the right side of his body.

They guys were quick to light the pyre and toss the chunks of Laurent in. They stood in a semi-circle and watched as the leech's body sent flumes of black smoke between the trees. We didn't look away when we heard an angry screech far off in the distance. By the sound of the angry cry, there would be no way we could catch up with her.

I didn't realize I had been in a state of constant whimpering until Sam walked over and touched my right shoulder. I looked down at him and started shaking. For the first time since I had become a wolf, I was terrified. I could feel my thick blood running down my left leg to pool around my paw.

_It should have started healing by now,_ I glanced between all of them, _I think this is bad._

_Sam should go to the council and see if the legends can tell us anything,_ Embry was staring blankly into the fire.

"Take him home, Jarred," Sam looked to the blood coated man who simply nodded and began stripping so he could phase.

_I don't want Bella to see me like this,_ my whines grew louder.

_Feisty will be fine,_ Paul snorted, _she should see you in case this is bad._

_Paul!_ Jarred growled, _not helping!_

_Just saying what we're all thinking_ , Paul's reply was barely a whisper.

"Jacob, go home and see Bella, I'll go and see if the council can be of any help. I'll

come check on you as soon as I can. Embry—stay and guard the fire. We can't burn the forest down." Sam turned and walked off in the direction of town.

_Come on, Jake_ , Jarred trotted to my side, _lets get going. It's going to take a while._

I took a few deep breaths through my mouth and stood. The fire in my leg was burning as bad as it was when the leech was actively biting me. I began what was sure to be the longest trip home I would ever make in my life. Walking on three legs was difficult, and at fist I was painfully slow. Jarred was patient, though, and kept next to me the entire way. Every time my front paw touched the ground a jolt of pain rocked me. It was taking all of my self control to not whine and yelp the whole way home. I listened as the phased members of the pack talked amongst themselves. They kept congratulating me, and begged me to show them what happened. I visualized it, and they howled and barked in frustration at having missed the chance to battle the bloodsuckers, themselves.

_Its harder than it looks_ , was my only thought on the matter.

After about five miles I was starting to get a grip on three-legged walking, and I was missing Bella desperately. Victoria's angry cry had been far off, but I still didn't feel right with Bella alone in my house. In my haste I had begun to gallop. My speed wasn't anywhere near as fast as it was when I was running on four legs, and it hurt like a bitch, but it was an improvement over the near crawling pace of before.

_How do you feel, man,_ Jarred was next to me keeping pace.

_Like I'm on fire. Everything from the wound down fucking burns._ It's like my leg was dumped in trees were passing quicker than I had thought previously. I was only a couple miles from home. From Bella.

_Fiesty's going to flip her shit when she sees you,_ his tone was low.

_I know, I know. Maybe it's a good idea if you don't show yourself when we get there. You're kind of drenched._ My eyes flitted to his side. His coat was matted with my blood from his neck to his haunches.

_Probably for the best,_ he agreed.

We slowed to a stop before we reached the edge of the woods surrounding my yard. I looked at Jarred, appreciatively. He simply nodded and turned, heading back to Paul and Embry.

As soon as I had emerged from where I was shielded behind her truck, the door flung open and Bella was out on my porch. Her eyes traveled over me, and her hand flew to her mouth at the sight of the gaping wound on my left shoulder.

I hopped closer and laid down teen feet from her. She stepped off of the porch and walked over to me, never taking her warm brown eyes off of the wound.

"Oh, Jake," she whispered touching the side of my face with her tiny hands. Her fingers pushed themselves easily through my fur as she tried to comfort me. It was a mental salve just to have her there, but the burning never relented. I hadn't stopped shaking in pain since the adrenaline of the fight had worn off. My claws dug into the loose dirt, and I let out a pitifully loud whine.

"Jacob," her eyes were glassy as she fought back tears. She side stepped so she was straddling my left leg and peered into the open wound. I flinched as I saw her reach out to touch it, but relaxed as she began to lightly move my fur out of the way. I felt a slight tug every now and then as fur was tugged from a random spot where the raw flesh had begun to get sticky.

Bella leaned forward and I lost sight of her from the ribcage up. I could barely feel her small fingers as she used them to deftly remove the remainder of my fur from the wound. Then her legs stiffened, and I felt her head bump my neck as it tilted to the side.

"Tiny grooves, half sphere chunks," Her face popped back into my visual range, her face a perfect picture of horror. "One of them bit you, didn't they?" I bobbed my large head.

"This is different from mine, you're missing a lot of flesh," her brow furrowed and then another realization hit her:

"You must be on fire." My head dipped again in the affirmative.

Bella threw her arms around my neck and squeezed me, all I could do to return the embrace was lightly rest my head over her shoulder. I hummed low in my throat, hoping the feeling would comfort her.

"I should be comforting you," she had pressed her face into my neck and was nuzzling me. I rumbled in contentment, and then regretted the decision, the vibrations my rumble caused made the fire worse. I started panting.

Bella backed up and looked into my eyes, before going back to the wound.

"I need to clean this, there's rocks and dirt, and leaves in here," I felt the edges of my injury sting in protest. "Can you phase back?"

My head shook. I was way too scared to even attempt to phase. I had a sick feeling that had I been alone in the yard I would have given into the fire and allowed myself to physically react to the pain as much as it wanted to. I was fairly sure it wouldn't help, but I couldn't help but wonder if writhing on the ground would do anything to dull the flames.

"Hmmm...I need to do this before you heal and trap that inside you," she was biting her lips as she considered the options. I wasn't sure I would ever heal, and no one could be.

At that point she turned and ran back into the house. I whined after her but got no answer but the banging of cupboards, the sliding of closet doors, and the soft 'thump' of the freezer door.

My questions were answered as she appeared with her good arm wrapped around a clear Pyrex serving bowl filled with ice water. I tilted my head and watched as she bent down and shakily set the bowl on the porch. She pulled a large cloth off from over her shoulder and started to soak it in the water. A long few moments later she was standing, her body positioned over my left leg, with what I realized was one of my sister's old hair towels. The ice cold water dripped into the dirt next to my leg. She had a pained smile on her face.

"Okay, I'm not going to bullshit you—this is not going to be comfortable, but I'm taking a chance that the cold water will help with the burning," she glanced between my eyes and my injury, and her meaning sunk in. I leaned away from her slightly and shook my head, I was in enough pain as is.

"Wolf-up, Jake or it's going to be even worse when you heal and get an infection!" I shook my head again. "Or should I scream and have the guys come running so they can hold you down?"

My eyes widened. She wouldn't, would she?

_She would, and we would,_ Embry's thought caught me off guard. _Don't make us have to come over there. We aren't far away as is._

Fuck. I was stuck, and I wasn't in any position to try and fight it.

I lowered my head to the ground, resting it between my front paws, and gave in. For a brief moment I felt her fingers move as they scratched behind my ear, and I knew immediately it was an apology. I shut my eyes and dared not to open them until she was done.

"Here goes," she muttered before swiftly pressing the icy towel into my wound. I cringed away from the cold on my exposed flesh, but she simply took another step closer and pressed more firmly. I shuddered but tried my best to keep still for her.

The process was repeated several more times. She would press the towel into the crater on my shoulder for a few minutes, and then head back to the bowl to re-soak the towel. Though still uncomfortable it got easier every time. I had stopped flinching all together and even began to look forward to the cold that eased the burning in my shoulder.

I cheated a glance and saw her carrying the bowl over to where I was laying. I quickly shut my eyes as she got closer. I knew what was coming next, but I couldn't brace myself for the onslaught of the icy liquid that she poured into my wound. The stream was slow, steady, and nearly unbearable. I knew she was trying to wash as much of the debris out as she could, but I couldn't help the small growl that radiated from me.

"This sucks for me too, Jake, calm down," she ordered softly as she continued to wash the fragments of the forest away. I quieted but kept myself tensed for the part to come.

It wasn't as bad as I had feared. The cold water numbed me enough that I barely felt pressure as she deftly picked rocks, and leaves from my shoulder. As she went on her pace quickened almost to a frantic speed.

"You're starting to heal," she said quietly, "almost done," Bella removed a few more bits of gravel and then stepped back to grab the bowl for one more flush. I could feel myself slowly knitting back together and I became more optimistic about my fate. The fire, though still there was only smoldering at this point. I finally came to the conclusion that I would survive.

I lifted my head and looked at her, she seemed as proud of herself as I was. Unable to resist, I leaned forward and licked her from jaw to forehead in my wolf version of a sloppy kiss. The shock on her face was priceless, her arm moved vigorously as she tried to wipe my spit from her face. I barked at her, and she dropped her arm, her face caught between glaring and smiling.

"You're welcome," Bella's voice was full of amusement. My tail thumped loudly behind me and she began to laugh. I cocked my head to the side and she chuckled even harder before walking up to cup my muzzle and give me a swift kiss on the nose. She leaned back to see how my progress was coming along.

"Well, it looks like you're healing just fine," she remarked looking at my shoulder, "its almost gone. Looks like it scarred, though. We're going to be twins." Though there was no immediate danger, I growled loudly. Her only action was to clumsily pull back the fabric of her left sleeve. There on her forearm was a thin silver crescent. It was barely visible even to me until it glinted in the sun.

"I'm fine, Jake. See? All healed up." I silenced myself and nodded.

She reached out once more, took my head in her hands and kissed me firmly right between my eyes.

"Now, I'm going to go clean this up so Billy doesn't have to deal with it later. Phase back when you're ready and I'll cook whatever we have in the fridge." Bella smiled sweetly, turned away and headed back into the house.


	5. Keep You Like an Oath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella finds out that Jacob has been hiding some important information from her. She decides it's time that he learns his lesson, and brings the girls from the pack along for the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Hello again! Its been a few days, so I figured it was time for another upload! This chapter is pretty long, but I was having so much fun writing it, I couldn't cut anything out!
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

**Keep You Like an Oath pt1**

The council had no idea how to deal with a vampire bite. It had never happened before. Jacob was the first. The council came to tentative conclusions over the next few days. The first was obvious, it wasn't deadly. The second was that it retarded their healing capabilities by quite a bit. Jacob had to deal with having the gouge in his shoulder for two days before it finally closed leaving a faint silver scar outlining where the chunks had been missing. The third was that though the venom made its presence known in a painful way, that the wolves must have some ability to keep the venom from spreading to their entire body, but nobody could figure out how.

The only proof they had was Jake, but seeing him recover and be back up to speed after three days made the council and the rest of the pack calm down a bit.

I on the other hand had kicked myself into gear. If I wasn't sleeping, or at school, I was in LaPush at Emily's learning her secrets to cooking for a pack of werewolves. Her general rule when making any particular dish was to multiply the recipe by three. That would feed one of them. My first meal helping from shopping through to prep was intense. I kept up well for being crippled, but she would still occasionally gently knock me out of the way with one of her hips if I was moving too slow for her. I started cooking recipes that I used at home for feeding Charlie. The boys were appreciative, and insisted that once I got my cast off that I would be just as quick in the kitchen as Emily.

All of the guys were growing on me, and I began to see all of them as brothers. Jarred was really nice, and would talk to me if he felt that I was left out of the din that passed for a pack conversation. Paul was still abrasive, but he did his best to be pleasant. Embry was crass, and very touchy feely when it came to joking around. He loved getting under Jacob's skin and took every opportunity to do so. I think the only reason Jake didn't get angry at Embry was that he knew it was all in good fun. Embry even started what became the pack's new favorite game: Bella Ball. I would be passed from wolf to wolf and kept just out of Jake's reach as they ran at lightning speeds through the forests of the reservation. Sam, reserved as he was, joined in once or twice which came as a surprise to everyone.

I was beginning to feel a part of the pack's little family. They protected me from vampires, and I had my own responsibilities in return.

The only one of the pack I wasn't getting any closer to was Sam. He didn't make any effort to be friendly, but he was polite enough. Though he wasn't what I could call a friend, I was still fond of him, for no reason other than the way he treated Emily. She was a friend, and I was endlessly happy that someone made her feel so completely loved.

A month later, Quil finally phased. He took it pretty well since Jacob and Embry were there to welcome him to the pack. He was happy-go-lucky, and always goofing around. The only problem with Quil was that he had no boundaries. Three weeks after phasing for the first time, Quil was given night watch at my house. He begged, going so far as to get on his knees, to be allowed to stay the night in the room. I agreed just so that he would shut up.

That night before I opened my window I pulled on the baggiest sweat pants I could find, and an equally as baggy t-shirt. As soon as I heard Charlie snore, I opened the window and a minute later, Quil swung himself through the opening and landed soundlessly on the floor.

"Sup, Feisty," he whispered exaggeratedly.

"Well it's almost midnight, and I have school tomorrow...so bed," I pulled the mound of blankets on my bed back and slid in underneath them before pulling them back up to my ribcage. I rolled to face him and the window.

"No late night girl talk with your best friend, Quil?" He stuck out his bottom lip as far as it would go.

"Nope. I have a test tomorrow." Quil shrugged and walked across the room. I thought he was walking around to check out what I had on the walls, or what I had on my bookcase, but then I felt the covers get pulled back.

"Quil," I propped myself up on my elbow and tried to cover myself again, "what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to bed," his tone suggested that I was stupid for even asking.

"The fuck you are," I managed to wrestle the blankets away from him and pulled them back up. "You get the chair."

"Bellaaaaaa," he whined loudly. I reached out and smacked him in the abs.

"Shut. Up. Go." I pointed for emphasis at the rocking chair in the far corner of the room.

Quil quit arguing and headed to the chair with his head hung. The wood groaned when he sat in it. He barely fit, and I could tell he was uncomfortable, but there was no way I was crossing a line and letting him into my bed.

I quickly began to drift off.

I woke up in the morning to the sound of Charlie's car pulling out of the driveway. I smiled, my eyes still closed. It was warm, and I felt extra cozy. I must have slept hard because it was taking me a long time to become aware of my surroundings. First thing I noticed was that the warmth was coming from a muscular body that was curled up behind me. Jake had come to relieve the others before, and always climbed into bed with me while I was unaware just to surprise me with a kiss when I woke up in his arms. I smiled into my pillow and kept still. It was still too early to get up for school if Charlie had just left. I had time to cuddle in bed.

I felt a twitch on my chest. I looked down to see a hand shaped lump under my shirt where the mound of my right breast should be. I couldn't decide if I was annoyed or not by having been asleep my first time at second base. I decided that I'd leave his hand there for now, not like he was doing anything that I hadn't wanted him to do.

I stretched my legs out and bowed my body back against Jake's. I felt something hard poke into the back of my thighs. I froze. This was the first time that I had ever felt him press against me. We were usually pretty good about keeping our lower halves apart when things began to get steamy. The soft breathing behind me ruffled my hair and assured me that Jake was in fact sleeping. I found myself feeling bolder and a bit curious. I rocked back again and felt his length press against my thighs. I shuddered and began to feel a pull in my own groin.

The hand on my breast squeezed. I sighed and arched my back into his hand, and pushed my ass back. The change in angle made his morning wood hit at the apex of my thighs. The pressure so near to my opening was amazing.

He groaned, it was deep, gravelly, and heavily laced with sleep. It almost didn't sound like Jake. I opened my eyes and panted. I debating on turning to face him.

"Morning to you, too," Quil's voice was low and husky in my ear. He squeezed my breast again and chuckled.

"Quil!" I screamed and quickly pushed his arm out from under my shirt. I shot out of bed and turned to face him. He was grinning like he had just won the lottery, and looked completely unapologetic. "The fuck are you thinking?"

"The rocking chair is really uncomfortable, and I couldn't sleep in it, and your bed looked so fluffy, and you were lying there all drooling, and there was enough room to fit if I spooned you so..."

"So you decided to feel me up in the process?" I raised my casted arm threateningly at him. He flinched at my sudden movement but stayed put.

"I have no control over what I do while I'm sleeping," Quil was still grinning from ear to ear. "And by the smell of it you didn't mind at all."

"You-you," I threw both of my arms up and began to pace. What was I going to tell Jake?  _Oh sorry, Jake, I rocked myself into Quil's cock a few times thinking he was you._  Like that was going to go over well. I knew however bad it would be for me, Quil was going to get it worse. Especially if the entire pack thought he was a threat to their girlfriends.

That thought lifted my bad mood considerably. I couldn't help but to smile, as I headed downstairs humming a funeral dirge loudly. Quil still hadn't gotten out of my bed. He just followed me with his eyes as I left, looking rather confused.

When I got into the kitchen I walked to the microwave and set the timer for three minutes, turning it on without anything cooking inside. That should drown out the sound of my conversation enough that Quil wouldn't catch on to what I was up to. I headed for the phone, still humming as I dialed Jacob's number. On the third ring Billy answered.

"Hey Billy," I kept my voice quiet, just in case.

"Oh hey, Bella, Jake's not here. He's still out patrolling. Sam is here filling me in on the changes he's made to their schedules."

"That's fine, but I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" I tried to sound as sweet as possible.

"Sure." Billy sounded slightly worried.

"Could you ask your guest to tell Jake something when he sees him?"

"What's this about, Bella?"

"Have him tell Jake that I woke up to Quil at second base." I heard a growl in the background on the other end of the line. Sam had heard.

"He what?" The microwave beeped and then stopped.

"I made him sit on the rocking chair last night, and at some point while I was asleep he crawled into my bed, and put his hand up my shirt!" I heard a loud thud upstairs. "I was half asleep and thought he was Jake for a few minutes..." I didn't say anymore—the only person that needed to know the rest of it was Jacob.

"I'll see to it," I heard Sam growl into the phone before they hung up.

I hung up, smiling and barely had the chance to turn completely when I saw Quil's massive frame next to me. He looked scared shitless. I caught myself feeling a small amount of sympathy for him, until I remembered how smarmy he had sounded earlier when he had woken up.

"What did you do that for?" His deep voice quivered.

"You deserved it, Ateara! You knew I didn't want you in bed, much less your hand on my tit!" I folded my arms around myself protectively.

"You didn't seem to mind when you woke up!"

"I thought you were Jake!" I screeched and threw my hands out pushing against his chest. He backed up a step frowning. "You crossed a line, Quil. Get out of my house!"

Quil looked like I had kicked his puppy, but didn't protest. He simply turned and headed out. Once I heard the front door close behind him, I went upstairs to change.

My plan worked. Quil had caught shit from Sam as soon as he had phased. Jarred and Jacob wanted to teach him a lesson, but Sam didn't allow it. Jake didn't even get mad at me for how I had acted. He said it was all over my face how embarrassed and upset I was about it. He was mostly upset because it hadn't been him that I was grinding up on. We both decided that for nights when Quil was to watch me that he would stay in wolf form in the forest.

Things had just quieted down with the pack when tragedy struck. It was the weekend and so I was staying at Emily's later than usual. It had become ritual for us to make dessert for the pack on Saturday nights. We were laughing about how Quil was still forced to sit on the sidelines during Bella Ball when we first heard the screams.

Emily flew out of the house like a bat out of hell, I followed as closely as I could, but I kept tripping over the uneven ground in the dark. I had lost sight of Emily, but I knew I was going in the right direction since the screaming was getting louder. I stumbled through the woods for a while before I finally saw the porch light of a house. Running closer, I could hear the screams coming from inside. I burst through the trees and ran into the house.

The room was wrecked. I surveyed the scene and noticed that there was a large hole in the wall that lead to the hallway. The pictures that had previously been hanging, were shattered on the ground. The TV had been knocked over, and the dining table was smashed.

Emily was knelt next to a screaming woman, that I recognized as Sue Clearwater, and a tipped recliner. All I could see from the back was a pair of men's legs. I stepped further in and craned my neck to see past Emily.

Harry Clearwater was desperately clutching at his chest. His body spasmed as he took in loud shuddering breaths. His bulging eyes were locked on his screaming wife. My hand flew to my mouth as I took in the scene. I stepped further into the house and searched quickly for a phone.

Luckily, I found it sitting on the edge of the small kitchen's counter. I picked it up and hastily dialed 911. I babbled to the operator that I thought Harry was having a heart attack from the way he was clutching his chest. Her calm voice reassured me that someone would be there as soon as they could, and urged me to stay on the line until the ambulance arrived.

I paced as I waited to hear the sirens over Sue's screaming. Others had come to help as I paced. They were trying CPR. Harry was still gasping for breath, but his heart wasn't beating. Emily had moved out of the way and had moved to Sue's side. She clung to the older woman and tried to pull her away so that the others could have more room to operate.

Sue was still fighting Emily's embrace when the sirens finally pierced the atmosphere. I notified the operator, hung up, and ran outside to flag the ambulance down. The paramedics burst out and opened up the back. They pulled out a gurney and pushed it into the house.

There was nothing more that I could do, but I couldn't sit still. I headed straight back to the phone and dialed home.

"Hello," Charlie's voice was heavy with sleep.

"Dad..." My voice cracked. Harry was one of Charlie's best friends. I knew he needed to know, but I hated being the one to have to tell him. He must have heard the screaming from the other room because his voice became frantic. He was practically yelling questions about my whereabouts and safety into the phone when I cut him off.

"It's Harry, dad. I think he had a heart attack."

Silence.

"Dad? You should go meet him at the hospital." I looked over my shoulder and saw Harry being wheeled outside by one paramedic. The other was pulling Sue to her feet and dragging her after them. "I really think Sue needs someone there."

"On my way." His voice wavered.

"I'm sorry, dad." Charlie grunted a 'goodbye' and hung up.

I walked back into the living room and found Emily staring at the couch with wide eyes. It took me a second to see what was so fascinating about it. The couch was shredded. The stuffing was poking out of several sets of long deep gashes.

"Claws?" I glanced at Emily she just nodded and turned to leave. I blinked and followed her outside. She had waited for me this time, and held out a shaky hand. I took it and we walked in silence back to her house.

Paul was waiting for us when we got there. We could see him circling the table with his fists clenched. When we entered he looked up. He was pissed.

"Where the fu-" He lingered on Emily's direction for a moment and then thought better of his choice of words. "Where the hell were you two?"

"The Clearwater's," Emily squeezed my hand before letting it go. She walked into the kitchen and continued the food prep without another look at Paul. The explanation made his temper even worse. I could see his whole body vibrate. His jaw worked back and forth as he ground his teeth.

"Why?" His voice was deadly quiet.

"Harry had a heart attack. We heard Sue screaming, and we ran there to help." I kept my voice calm and even. Paul looked like he was going to snap any second.

"So you ran through the woods...alone...at night?" He shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"Yes."

"I thought Jacob said you were smart," Paul growled and ran his hands through his short hair.

"Fuck you, I am smart!" Bella frowned.

"Not if you're taking off through the woods with new wolves running around scared out of their minds," Paul challenged me with his gaze.

I laughed, "you're statement assumes that Emily and I had any idea about said wolves, Paul. You have no reason to be pissed!"

He took several long deep breaths, and slowly, the shaking was just in his hands.

"You had no idea?" He looked at me skeptically.

"None. We don't have the ability to hear the pack's thoughts. We heard Sue scream so we took off. That's all."

Paul nodded, taking me at my word, and then his frown deepened. He sank into one of the dining chairs and held his head in his hands. He looked exhausted. I pulled up a chair next to him and put a hand lightly on his shoulder. He flinched but didn't move.

"What's wrong, Paul?" I heard the clattering of pans cease as Emily listened to his answer.

"Leah and Seth phased."

"Leah? Can girls even be wolves?"

"Guess so," Paul's response was muffled.

I turned to Emily and she looked really upset. I had no idea if it was because Leah and Seth had phased at the same time, or if it was just because of Harry. I glanced back at Paul, who hadn't moved.

"I feel like I'm missing something," I kept looking between the both of them. When I spoke Paul rose and looked at Emily. She nodded and motioned for me to join her in the kitchen.

My legs felt like lead as I walked over. Emily was usually unflappable, and now she looked like she was going to burst into tears. I put my hand on her shoulder, and she leaned forward and began to weep on my shoulder.

I rubbed her back and let her get it all out. She was latched onto my shirt which was quickly getting damp, but I was too worried about her to care. I looked helplessly at Paul. He was standing in the doorway with a pained look on his face. He shook his head and walked outside.

When she finally calmed down, I squeezed her and reached a hand out for a clean dish towel. She let me go, took the towel, and began to dry her eyes.

"What's going on, Emily? Why are you so upset?"

"Leah," she sniffed.

"Leah? I'm sure she'll adjust," Emily just shook her head.

"No, I'm not upset that she phased, I'm upset at what I did."

My head jerked back a bit as I took in what she had said. I couldn't imagine Emily doing anything to hurt anyone. She was too nice.

"What did you do," I queried, trying to keep my tone neutral.

"Leah is my second cousin. Her and Sam used to be together." Her voice was so small, yet filled with so much sorrow.

I was so astonished the most I could do was squeak out 'really?'

Emily nodded gravely and sniffed again. "They were together for a year or so. I lived on a different reservation. I hadn't met Sam before, just heard about him from Leah when we talked on the phone. I made a trip to come see her, we had been apart for so long before that. I met Sam, he was nice, but the next day he showed up at her house to see me instead of Leah."

"Shit..." I ran my good hand though my hair and tried not to think of how I would have felt if Edward had pulled that on me.

"Leah was heartbroken. I told Sam to leave, and that I wasn't interested, but he just kept showing up. He brought gifts and flowers...he looked at me like I was the only one in the world. I kept turning him down every time he showed up, but Leah started to blame me for what was happening.

"It was hell sitting in the house, not wanting to go outside because of Sam, and not wanting to be inside because all I could hear was Leah crying in her room. He showed up again, and confessed that he loved me...I had only met him three days before. I had no idea what to say to him. Leah heard and started yelling at the both of us. She pushed me outside and locked the door. She told me to never talk to her again.

"I had nowhere left to go. It was raining, and cold. Sam offered me his place. I was still upset with him but I accepted. We spent days at his place just talking about anything and everything. He was nice to be around, we went to the store together once to restock his kitchen, you know how the boys eat, and Leah saw us.

"She followed us back to Sam's and began screaming at the two of us. She said things, they were both horrible and true before she left. Sam was still new, he had only been a wolf for two weeks by then. I went to touch him, and he phased."

My eyes widened. I had assumed she had been attacked by an animal, but with the way Sam treated Emily, I never entertained the thought that he could have done it.

"I never blamed him for it, but Sam still feels guilty," Emily hung her head. "He still cares for Leah, and feels guilty about that too. It's going to be really hard now, for all of them. Leah has become spiteful, and bitter since Sam...can you image all that hatred on broadcast in everyone's mind? In Sam's?"

I winced at the thought. I hadn't considered how the pack link would effect the scenario until Emily had said it.

"Yeah, that's gotta suck," I sighed and pulled her into a firm hug. I rocked her back and forth as she fought another wave of tears. I held onto her while I tried to figure out how all of this would affect the rest of us. If Leah really were as bitter and angry as Emily had said, what would she do when the rest of the pack showed up to eat? I glanced behind Emily at the counter. Dessert was nowhere near done, they could be back at any time and nothing was ready. "Go sit down, Emily, I'll finish cooking," I let her go and moved back toward the giant bowls that held the fruit filling for the cobblers.

"I can't let you do this all by yourself," she made an attempt to move up to the bowl next to the one I was working on, but I swung around and put myself between Emily and the counter.

"You can, and you will. The guys are going to be emotionally exhausted if things are as bad as you say, and it'll be especially hard for Sam. He's the one that has to regulate. You need to calm yourself down, wash your face, and be ready to take care of him when he comes in," I said using my best rendition of Emily's 'mother voice'.

"But this is my kitchen," She looked around helplessly.

"Not right now, it isn't, go get centered, Emily. I'll be fine," I smiled and nudged her back with my hip as I turned back to the food. I felt her standing there behind me as she tried to figure out if continuing to argue would be worth it or not. She must have decided against it, because I heard the floor boards creak as she walked away.

I set to work on finishing the dessert. Cobbler was easy, the topping had been finished before we had run to the Clearwater's place, all I needed to do was stir the fillings, sweeten to taste, and pour the contents into their respective dishes before baking. I paused and began to think about Seth and Leah, surely they would be hungry as well? I set off on making two more batches of filling and topping for cobbler. Surprisingly I had enough fruit to make one more of both types. Even with the extra work, and being hindered by a cast, I managed to get the dessert in the oven in less than an hour.

Waiting for them was the hardest part. I dropped myself onto the top step of Emily's porch and rested my elbows on my knees. I could see Paul in his wolf form slowly circling Emily's yard. He stopped every now and them and I could see him shake his head, like he was trying to shake something off of him.

_Or out of him_. I found myself desperately wanting to be in on the conversation that he was privy to. I wanted to know what Jake was going through. He had to have known about Harry, and now he was probably trying to talk down two new, angry, grieving wolves.

It took two hours for all of the cobblers to finish. I set them on cooling racks, and had reached to get glasses out of the cupboard when I felt two strong arms wrap around my waist. I reached my left hand back and my hand lightly connected with the side of Jacob's head. I pulled him closer until his chin was resting on my shoulder. I leaned my head against his.

"Hey...you okay?" He just shook his head against me. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Later," he sounded drained. I nodded and turned, kissing his temple. I counted out as many cups as I would need for the usual crowd. My hand hovered over the open cupboard.

"Either of them coming in to eat?"

Jacob sighed heavily and I felt his entire body drop as he exhaled. "Just Seth."

I grabbed one extra and placed the stack of cups on the counter. I went to the fridge, with Jacob still attached and pulled out two gallons of milk.  _This isn't going to be enough_ , I frowned. We had spaced going to the store earlier because of the tragedy at the Clearwater's.

I was setting glasses at the table, and at the kitchen island when the rest of the boys began trudging into the house without Sam. They all looked like they had been up for a week straight. The usual light in their eyes was gone, and their posture was droopy. Embry, and Jarred dropped onto the stools at the island and slumped forward. Paul, and Jacob lounged on the dining chairs.

"Food, guys?" My question was quiet if only for the reason that I figured they had enough of yelling for the evening. The mention of food seemed to perk them up a bit, they were sitting straight up, now, but the dark circles under their eyes were still prominent.

The cobbler had cooled enough to be served. I offered up the selection of flavors: berry or peach. They each threw out their bid, and lucky for me, I had enough of each. I smiled at the look on Quil's face when I put a full pan of cobbler in front of him and stuck a spoon in it.

I went around to each of them in turn, and received tiny mumbles of appreciation. I asked them to thank Emily as well, when she surfaced from the back of the house.

Her face looked fresh, and if I wouldn't have been there I would have had no idea that she had been sobbing. Her face was hopeful when she entered, but dropped a bit at the sight of the boys. I offered a small smile and shrugged. Things could have been worse. I would take exhausted werewolves over angry ones any day.

Sam entered then, looking completely unphased by the nights events. His face had the same impassive look that it always had. His hand was on the shoulder of a young boy: Seth Clearwater. Though the transformation had just taken place, somehow he managed to look more like a boy than a man. He still looked like a teenager, where as the others could easily pass for twenty-somethings. Seth's face didn't carry the same heaviness the others' did. He looked rather excited, like he had finally been included in a super secret club...which I guess he had.

"Hey, Seth, I'm Bella," I smiled at him from across the room, a tray of cobbler balanced in my left hand, I moved my arm a little further out motioning for him to take it. "Hungry?"

Seth's eyes widened at my offer. He looked up at Sam with a silent question. Sam just nodded, taking his hands off of the boy's shoulder. He hadn't taken his eyes off of Emily since he had entered.

Seth bounded up to me like an excited puppy. He stuck his head out and inhaled the scent of the dessert. "Wow," his eyes opened slowly to peer at me. I had expected him to immediately take the dish, but he just looked at me.

"Can I have the other one? Leah likes berries better."

I smiled at him, and put the dish down to grab the other. I stuck a spoon in it and handed it to him along with a glass of milk. "Go eat, I'll go give Leah hers." Seth just grinned and loped off to sit at the table.

The others were looking at me like I was crazy. I quirked a brow and frowned. "What?"

"You're going to deliver food to Leah?" Embry inquired through a mouth full of food.

"Yeah. It'd be rude not to," I grabbed the berry cobbler with my left hand and nestled a glass of milk into the crook of my arm.

"Your funeral, Bella," Quil mumbled as I passed him. Jake responded for me by kicking him sharply in the shin. I smiled as I reached Jacob and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. I both heard and felt him as he hummed contentedly.

I stepped outside into the cool night air and scanned the area. The light of the house poured out into the front yard and lit it up almost to the trees on the perimeter. That's where I found her. Her back was bathed in light as Leah stared off into the forest. I walked slowly down the steps and across the yard, making sure to shuffle a bit to make my presence known. She didn't turn when I arrived, she just kept staring off into the woods.

"Hi, Leah. I'm Bella Swan."

"Good for you. The fuck do you want," her voice radiated anger as much as her posture did. From what little I knew about the other's first nights anger wasn't uncommon when the reality of the situation set in.

"I brought you some food. Thought you'd be hungry. Seth said you liked berries?" I knelt down carefully to her right and placed both items on the ground before her. She still kept her gaze locked on the trees.

"I'm not going to eat anything  _she_  touched," Leah spat.

"Well, good thing I did the cooking, then, huh? Em...uhh...she was busy so I made the food by myself...well, mostly. This one I know for sure was all me. I hadn't made enough for two more members." Leah grunted and finally graced the dish with a short glance, finally giving me a glimpse of her face.

She was really pretty...beautiful even. Her hair flowed long and straight down to her waist. Her skin was bright and clear, and she had perfectly symmetrical features. Her body was easily shown by the wife beater and jeans shorts she had on. I couldn't imagine why anyone would up and leave her, even if it were for someone as nice and kind as Emily.

"I hope you like it," I drummed my fingers on my cast, "If not I can make something else?"

"Did they tell you to be nice to me?" Leah looked at me with suspicion, and leaned away.

"No." I shook my head for emphasis, she looked like she was going to question my motives. "I have no reason to treat you badly. You've done nothing to earn that."

Leah's expression became one of confusion. She looked down at her lap and I saw her shoulders begin to shake while her hands clutched onto her knees. I knew that shake well. She was fighting to keep control of herself and not phase.

"I'm didn't mean to make you mad, Leah," I kept my voice quiet, "I can't begin to understand what it's like to be you, I don't know your life. But I've seen the guys fight for control on various occasions and it gets easier as time passes."

It took her a much longer time to calm down than the guys, and I figured it was because she had just transformed. She still sat rigidly, however, and she hadn't touched the food.

"They told you, didn't they? That's why you're being nice." She glared darkly at me and her mouth curved into a sharp sneer. "I don't need your pity."

I was beginning to see that Emily's summation of Leah was true. She was angry, and bitter. I knew she had good reason to be, but I couldn't stop myself from the anger that burned in my chest.

"I was being nice because I wanted to be," I hissed. "Yes, Emily told me her version of what happened with you two and Sam-"

"That's not for her to tell," Leah yelled.

"She feels like shit, and was crying over you! She wasn't telling me what happened to sway me in any direction, and she wasn't trying to gossip. She was worried about you because of the situation you got thrown into, and she didn't know what else to do but cry!"

"You think I'll feel bad since she cried?" Her eyes rolled in her head and landed back on the trees. "She'd like that. It'd be easier for her to try to suck me back in."

My chest heaved as I tried to calm myself. I grasped onto a fold in the fabric of my jeans squeezed. "You think you've cornered the market on emotional pain? That's fucking hilarious."

"You don't know a thing about what happened to me!" Her voice cracked.

"Then tell me! I've got all night." I shot back.

"It's none of your damn business," she muttered.

"Fine. Don't tell me, but correct me if I'm wrong...you feel like your world is over. Like you'll never see the sun again. Nothing is fun, or holds any interest. You just want to curl in on yourself and think of the good times, but you know all it'll do is widen that hole he carved in your chest. Just when you think you're having a good day—something reminds you of him and you crash even harder than before. Thinking hurts. Breathing hurts. Existing  _hurts_ ," I was watching her face as my words sunk in. Her face contorted into fear, anger, pain, and then rested on confusion.

"How the hell do you know all this?" Her voice was small, and didn't fit her.

"A few months ago, that was me. I was like that for the better part of a year. It didn't change until I decided I wanted to get better, and started trying to move on. I think time also helps."

She turned and looked back at Emily's house, her eyes glistened with pain. "I can't..."

"Then you're not ready. Don't push it, just deal with it."

"What do you think I've been trying to do since it happened?" She snapped her face to mine. Her gaze was intense and fierce.

"Dwell. Wish it wasn't true." I looked at her much more calmly now. I knew her pain well, and couldn't be too mad at her choice of "dealing" with her situation.

"Shut the fuck up," Leah snarled.

I put my hands up in surrender and stood. I brushed off my ass and looked into the house, all of the guys were busy eating, but they were uncharacteristically quiet. They had to be listening.

"Look...you don't know me, I get that it's a fat chance in hell that you'll actually listen to what I said until you come to the conclusion on your own, later. Fine. I don't pity you. I sympathize. That being said, you need to get a handle on your fucking shit, right quick." Leah growled in warning, but I stood my ground. "You want to be in pain? Fine. But you're hurting the guys. You're hurting  _my_  guy. They're all dead on their feet in there from dealing with tonight, and I know it isn't because of Seth. I might not be able to fight you physically, but that's not going to keep me from protecting the rest of my family. I don't know you enough to dislike you, Leah, that's not what this is about. You are a part of this family, now, and you're going to tear it apart if you keep letting your hurt control you." With that I turned and headed into the house. The guys had stopped eating and I saw six heads turned to face me with looks of awe.

"Fuck you, bitch!" Leah screamed from behind me.

I smiled wryly. "Enjoy your food!" I called back and passed through the threshold into the house to stand behind Jacob's chair.

Another month went by with few upsets. Though still abrasive, Leah did her best not to broadcast her pain to the others while in wolf form. She continuously refused to step foot into Emily and Sam's house, preferring to eat her meals in the front yard. I brought them to her whenever I was there, and sat with her in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. She wasn't talking to me, and I thought I understood why. From the way Jacob and the rest of the guys acted the night Leah had phased, no one ever went head to head with Leah.

Much like Jacob she had cut her hair short so that her fur wouldn't be so long in wolf form. She had settled on a blunt jaw length bob, that suited her face perfectly. I could tell she was unsure about the new cut, so I tried to offer her a compliment, she reacted by telling me to shut my fucking mouth and ran off to be alone. I no one mentioned her hair after that.

Seth was a joy to have around. He quickly became like a little brother, and would run up to hug me when he arrived, despite looks of betrayal on his sister's part. Seth was always kind, and sweet, and though he spent time looking through the minds of his older brothers and all of their dirty thoughts, he remained innocent.

On his first night watch at my place, after checking to make sure Jacob didn't mind, I allowed him to share my bed. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wouldn't try anything. He even went as far to suggest sleeping in opposite directions to make me more comfortable. Though I wasn't keen on having Seth's feet near my face, his concern was adorable.

I woke up in the morning to find Seth hanging half off of the bed. I got up carefully as to not disturb him and went to check and see if Charlie had left. He hadn't. I frowned, he was usually at work by the time I got up, even on Saturdays.

I shook Seth gently awake, and told him he'd have to leave through the window. He spent a few minutes blinking sleepily before he hauled himself through the window and dropped to the ground. I closed the window behind him.

Emily usually started cooking lunch for the pack at ten, so I had about ten minutes before Jake showed up to pick me up. He had been complaining that he never had an excuse to drive his Rabbit anymore.

I dressed quickly pulling on a gray t-shirt and some black jeans. I grabbed one of Jacob's forgotten sweatshirts and headed down the stairs to say goodbye to Charlie.

As soon as I walked into the kitchen, and saw him sitting there just waiting for me I froze. Charlie wasn't a man of many words, but the look on his face clearly showed that he had something to say. I didn't think I was going to like it.

He noticed my hesitation and pointed a thick finger at the chair across from him. I stumbled on my way and practically fell into it. I blushed at my clumsiness. Charlie just stroked his mustache as he tried to figure out what he was going to say.

"Been spending a lot of time on the reservation." It wasn't a question. He laced his fingers in front of him on the table and watched me intently.

"Yup."

"Been talking to Billy. Hasn't seen you around much." Charlie was using his police chief voice now. I swallowed. I would only tell him as much as he needed to know.

"Yeah, been hanging out with Jake and his friends. Mostly at Emily's house." I nodded a few times and looked off at the clock on the wall. His impromptu interrogation was going to make me late.

"Emily Young? Young lady that got attacked by that bear?" His bushy brows lifted at my unexpected answer.

"Yeah. She's really nice. Her boyfriend Sam is nice, too. Well, all the guys are."

"The guys...?" His question left no doubt that he wanted names.

"Yeah, ummm...Quil Ateara, Embry Call, Jarred Cameron, Paul Lahote, and Seth and Leah Clearwater."

"Oh," his face was suddenly pained at the mention of Harry's kids, but he quickly recovered and went back to stern-cop mode. "And what is it that all you...kids do?"

"Well the guys and Leah go off and do...guy stuff, and Emily and I stay behind and cook, usually. I've been learning a lot from her." I smiled thinking of all the recipes that she had taught me in the past few months.

"So you go to LaPush, and cook all day for a bunch of teenagers?" He sounded skeptical. "No other reasons why you'd be wanting to spend so much time there?"

"C'mon, dad! I keep up with school, I do work at the house, and I get enough sleep—what's the problem?"

"Fatherly concern," His eyes twinkled with amusement, but his face was still stern.

The doorbell rang, and I nearly sighed in relief. Charlie and I stood at the same time. He just pointed back to my chair. I sat down and huffed. I didn't want to sit and waste time while Charlie engaged Jacob in small talk. I wanted to get on the road and go.

Charlie came back in and sat back in his chair, assuming his earlier position. He seemed even more amused than he had when he went to get the door.

The chair next to me scraped the linoleum as Jake sat down next to me. He looked down at me and smiled my favorite smile. I couldn't help but to grin back, even if Charlie was watching us. Charlie cleared his throat, demanding our attention. I was annoyed, but Jake just continued to smile.

"So Jake said you two have something you'd like to share?" I knocked Jacob in the chest with my cast, and slumped down in my seat.

"Asshole," Jacob laughed and took a hold of my injured hand, holding it firmly so that I couldn't pull away. We had the discussion a couple weeks ago about when we should tell Charlie. I opted not to tell him if we could help it. There would be too many restrictions put in place, and I didn't want to have my time regulated by my father. Jacob understood, but insisted that unlike Edward, Charlie had always liked his best friend's son. He went as far as to remind me of Charlie's reaction when Jake told him that he had kissed me.

Though he had a point, Jacob agreed on waiting for a while, just to make me happy. Now here I sat in my kitchen, looking at anything but the two men who accompanied me at the table, while desperately trying to break the hold my boyfriend had on my arm.

"You two. A thing..." Charlie looked between the two of us, "serious?"

"We're taking things slow, Charlie," Jacob assured him and played with the fingers of my trapped hand.

"Uh huh," Charlie redirected his gaze to me. The resulting squirm was involuntary. "You need anything?"

"No." I blushed, knowing what he was talking about.

"Birth control?"

"No."

"Condoms?"

"No!"

"STD pamphlets?"

"NO!" I yelled and covered my heated face with my hand. I felt Jacob quietly shaking with laughter. Why was I the only one embarrassed by this line of questioning? Before when my father had asked about Edward and I, Charlie had turned nearly as red as I had. Now he just sat there with that twinkle in his eyes.

"..You sure?"

"Come  _on_!" I groaned and pushed my hair out of my face.

"Just messing with you, kid. Just want to know you're being safe." Charlie's face hardened a bit. I knew I didn't want to know what he was thinking about.

"Always, dad. No worries." I tried to smile, but with the subject of our conversation fresh in my mind it turned out more like a grimace.

"Alright," Charlie nodded, "you two are free to go."

My quick escape from the kitchen was ruined since Jacob still had a hold on my arm. He rose at a languid pace, and ambled out of the kitchen slowly, dragging me with him. He didn't let me go until I was in the passenger seat of the Rabbit. Jake closed my door, headed to his side and got in.

"Thanks for the back up, Jake," I grumbled as I pulled the seat belt across my lap.

"Charlie needed to know, Bells. It would have been worse if we kept sneaking around," Jacob was right, and it bothered me. He pulled off the side of the road and headed through my neighborhood to get to the highway.

"He could have kept me from coming over so much, you know."

"He didn't, though, did he? Anyway, he likes me, and he trusts me." Again, Jacob was right. In the back of my head, I had known there was no real reason to keep our relationship from Charlie, but I wasn't used to being able to share things with him. Everything concerning the Cullens had been a misdirection, a half truth or an outright lie. I didn't like that back then, but the idea of how many lies I had told my father bothered the hell out of me now.

"True...you do realize we're late getting lunch started," I frowned. I didn't like being late.

"Emily will survive. Plus you're in charge of feeding Leah, remember? You've got all that to do on your own." Jacob turned onto the highway and headed towards the reservation.

"Yeah, I know. I just want to keep up my part, you know?" I reached out and rested my hand on his thigh as he drove. He took his eyes off the road for a second to look at my hand before he grinned crookedly and put his eyes back to the highway ahead.

"You're already doing more than you have to. Cooking for everyone is one thing, but purposely making Leah her own special menu for each meal all by yourself is a bit overboard don't you think?" I knew the others thought it was ridiculous to make Leah her own food. They had said more than once, when she was out of earshot, that if she didn't want to eat the food that Emily and I both prepared she could just go home and make her own food. Every time I told them that not only would that be incredibly rude on my part, but Leah, whether she admitted it or not, would be upset about being treated differently.

None of them could understand why I cared, and to an extent, it was a mystery to me as well. I should really dislike her for the harsh words I was greeted with every time I brought her a meal, but I didn't. She was angry. Hurting. I couldn't hold it against her. At the same time, I didn't let her think she could talk to me without getting the same treatment back, but I always kept my responses cool, and emotionless.

Jacob understood why I was trying to befriend her. He had told me a couple of weeks ago that she still hadn't integrated very well into the pack. The guys all gave her a wide berth, with the exception of Seth, and any attempt to joke, or play around was met with snarls and attempted attacks. He himself had tried to playfully shove her, but she had bitten him before Sam brought down the order to stop.

When I had found out, I laid into Leah. She stood there glaring as I yelled at her from the house. Jarred and Embry made a barricade so I couldn't get out and get mauled by the increasingly angry she-wolf. Still, in all my anger, I never used the situation with Sam and Emily to hurt her, that was a no-go. Leah just stood there shaking as I called her every degrading name in the book. I didn't stop yelling until Jacob had forced me to look at his arm that had completely healed. Twenty minutes later I wordlessly brought her the lunch I had made for her and headed back into the house.

We pulled into Emily's front yard and could clearly hear the commotion coming from inside. Jacob parked on the opposite side of the yard from where Leah sat staring into the woods. We walked to the door, hand-in-hand, and broke apart from there. He joined his brothers, and I joined Emily. As I expected she was bustling about the kitchen putting finishing touches on the guy's meal.

"Sorry we're late. My dad cornered us and made us talk." Emily waved her hand dismissively and smiled as she passed with a full tray of sandwiches for the boys. I guess she had opted to go with something easy to do on her own.

On the end of the counter were a few rolls, and the rest of the ingredients to make Leah's lunch. I washed my hands and got started.  _Five should be enough._  I wasn't sure if she didn't need to eat as much as the guys, or if she simply refused to eat all of her food, but there was always leftovers whenever I collected her dishes. I piled the rolls high with meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato, but I left the condiments on the side in little cups. I grabbed a butter knife from the utensil drawer and headed out to deliver the food to Leah.

As per usual, she didn't turn as I approached, and she didn't look when I sat next to her and put the plate on the ground nearby.

"Bitch face," her voice was even.

"Good afternoon to you, too, Leah," I rolled my eyes and folded my legs beneath me.

"Why do you do this?" Her glare was striking. Leah turned her entire body to face me, and was leaning forward with her elbows on her knees.

"Do what?" I was genuinely confused.

"Sit here and talk to me like you give a fuck. You just sit here and watch me eat, and prattle on about fuck all, and it doesn't make any goddamned sense to me!"

"Because you're out here alone, and even if you are trying to make yourself seem like the world's largest cunt, I know you get lonely, and I know you want a friend." I narrowed my own eyes at her and frowned.

"Even if I were wanting a friend, why would I choose you of all people?" She snorted, picked up one of the sandwiches, and took a large bite.

"Because I'm the only one that's willing," I pointed at her chest for emphasis. She smacked my hand away as she chewed. "You know it's true."

Leah growled but continued to eat. Her table manners were almost as bad as the rest of the pack. I looked off into the forest and drummed my fingers on my thighs.  _She'll come around eventually._

I watched Leah turn out of the corner of my eye, and I guessed that someone was either leaving to continue patrols, or heading this way. I heard soft murmurs from behind me, and Emily's lilting laugh, accompanied by Sam's deep chuckle. Leah's hair began to sway as she stood shakily and ran off into the woods. I closed my eyes and sighed deeply.

"Leah!" Sam's voice boomed through the clearing. He ran up to where I was sitting. I turned to him still frowning. He was looking into the forest after her. He waited a few moments, waiting for her to come back. She didn't.

I stood and picked up the tray of uneaten sandwiches. Our gazes met. For the first time ever, Sam looked helpless. He was clearly at a loss of what to do, or how to make things better. My smile to him was small, but reassuring.

"Where do you think she went?" I inquired softly.

"Home, probably," his look of distraught intensified, "she always used to hide in her closet when she was upset." Sam swayed on the balls of his feet, between Emily who was watching with tears welling in her eyes, and the direction of the Clearwater's home.

"Take care of Emily," he looked at his girlfriend and his brow wrinkled in worry. "I'll go to Leah's and check on her...if she's even there."

"I should do it," I knew his words were to both Emily, and I.

"If you go to Leah you'll just make it worse for her," I was doing everything in my power to keep my tone impartial, "you, right now, are the last thing she needs to see. Seeing you be with Emily must be hard enough, but knowing that you're with Emily and having you come to the rescue like it was still your job to do so...that's just twisting the knife. I know you are the Alpha, and it is your job to protect her in that respect, but right now, I think she's still in so much pain the distinction is fuzzy."

Pain etched itself into Sam's features as my words sunk in. From my observation he looked like a man that was hurting the one he loved. I know he loved Emily dearly, but if he still loved Leah, why leave her? I knew better than to ask, so I kept my mouth shut.

Sam's eyes darted to Emily once more and then he nodded. Sam knew better than most of the pack how bad it had been for me in the beginning—he was the one that had found me in the woods and brought me home. Though the situation was different, the pain was pretty similar.

"She's off duty for the rest of the day," he said quietly, "but I want her head in the game, tonight."

"I'll let her know," I turned and headed the way Emily and I had run just a few weeks before. It wasn't all too far from Emily's, but balancing a tray of sandwiches in my arms was slowing me down a lot.

I walked up to the small house some time later and knocked on the door lightly. Sue answered looking tired and puffy eyed. I didn't expect anything else since Harry's death was so fresh.

"Hi, ummm...is Leah here," I shuffled in place, "I'm a friend..."

"Yes, Leah's here...but I don't think she's up to company," Sue's eyes had widened at my use of the term 'friend'. I'm guessing that any friends she did have eventually stopped coming around after her change in demeanor.

"Please? I know why she's upset, and I can help," I didn't mention Sam letting her off for the day. I had no idea how Sue felt about him.

Sue looked at me for a long minute, sizing me up. Her tired eyes lingered on my face like she was trying to decipher my motives. Finally she took a step back and allowed me in. "She's in her room. Last door on the right."

I thanked her quietly and headed off down the hall. The door was cracked open, and it was quiet inside. I nudged the wood with my foot, and it floated back quietly on its hinges. There were clothes, books, CD's, and papers everywhere, like the room hadn't been cleaned in months. The bed was bare, barring the wadded up comforter at its foot. Every inch of the small space was covered in some sort of debris. Leah, however, was no where to be found.

I took a step in, shuffling my feet so my toes would slide under the trash until I was far enough in to close the door behind me. I set the tray of sandwiches down on the bed, and slowly began moving toward the only other door in the room. The floor around it was clear, showing the faded carpet that lay tapped beneath the small mountains of Leah's crap.

I looked at the handle of the closet door unsure of what to do. Surely if I asked to come in, I would either be ignored or told to leave. Leah was the only other person I had met that was as stubborn as I was, and I knew she wasn't going to open up, unless I showed her that I wasn't going anywhere until she did. That settled it. I knew what I was going to do.

I snapped my hand out, twisting the doorknob as I pulled. Enough light spilled into the dark closet that I briefly saw Leah, curled into the fetal position on the far side of the closet. A sheen of tears glinted under the quick ray of light. I side stepped hastily into the closet and shut the door behind me as I went. I dropped to the floor and scooted back to the opposite wall from Leah, brought my knees up to my chest and waited.

She growled loudly from the other side of the closet. It seemed deafening in the darkness. I shuddered, but stayed put. I wasn't leaving this closet until she broke and talked to me.

"Just so we're on the same page, Clearwater. I'm  _not_  leaving until you talk to me. I don't care if we're in this closet all damn day. I don't mind sitting here all night, and I'm prepared to grow old, gray, and incontinent here as well." My tone was challenging, and firm. I wanted her to know I wasn't fucking around.

"Why can't you just leave me alone," her agonized voice was raw and scratchy. I was easily able to tell she had been crying when I had opened the door, but hearing her voice thick with it made me wince.

"I can't leave you alone, because I wish that someone had done this for me when I felt like you do now," I sighed and leaned my head back against the wall.

"Well I don't," she sniffled.

"Bullshit."

Leah fell silent, and we began the waiting game. I wasn't going to speak again until she did, and by the deafening silence in the closet, she wasn't going to break easily. The only light came from the crack under the closet door. I kept some semblance of time by watching the way the shadows moved, shortening the strip of light on the floor. The light was barely an inch in length when she finally spoke:

"You said before that you knew how I feel," she sounded nothing like the Leah I had come to know. Her voice was light, shaky, and full of uncertainty. I stretched my legs out across the small space and until my toes hit the wall next to her. "How?"

"His name was Edward Cullen," I bit my lip. As unsure as I was about telling my story to Leah, I knew that sharing my story with her meant that Jacob and the others would probably hear every detail. I was prepared to deal with that. At the very least, it could end up being some sort of catharsis for me.

"The  _leech_?" I nodded even though she couldn't see me.

I started at the beginning, from the first day I had met Edward. How he managed to capture me with one glance out of the cafeteria's window. I told her about the afternoon on First Beach with Jacob when I cajoled the Quileute legends out of him and finally put together the pieces of what Edward really was.

I relayed how happy I would get when he would appear in my room at night. How we would laugh, and talk. How he would end up singing me to sleep. I even went as far as to tell her how I had wanted him physically but had constantly been pushed away due to his fear of losing control. I shared every intimate detail of my relationship with Edward, up until the last day that I saw his face. Leah didn't make a sound the entire time.

"I knew something was wrong when I got home and he was standing off to the side of my house near the woods," I swallowed the lump in my throat. I had gotten this far without crying, there was no way I was going to start now. "He said that we needed to talk, and asked me to take a walk with him. My stomach was in my throat, but I just thought he was going to go on about how much of a klutz I was, and tell me I couldn't visit his house for a while. The feeling got worse as we got deeper into the forest, he was keeping his distance from me, and he was completely silent.

"He finally stopped and turned to face me, but he wouldn't look me in the eyes. He told me that him and the rest of his family were starting to get noticed, and that they had to leave town. The first thing I thought was 'what am I going to tell Charlie'. I was ready to up and leave to follow them to wherever they were going. He just looked at me in pity, and it slowly fell into place. I was being left behind. I tried to tell him he couldn't just leave me, that what Jasper had done wasn't anything. Then the fucker agreed with me. He said it was just Jasper acting according to his nature. Their nature. Even if they abstained from human blood, that didn't mean they didn't still crave it.

Edward said I didn't fit in their world, and that he didn't want me. For a while I couldn't say anything. I just stood there and stuttered nonsense. He just watched me, his face was blank. I finally managed to ask if he wanted me or not. He said no." I sniffed and wiped my watery eyes.

"Then he had the audacity to ask me to not get into trouble—to keep from doing anything reckless. I didn't know what else to do but agree. Then he kissed the top of my head and disappeared. It took me a moment to move to follow him, but he was so fucking fast, I didn't have a clue which direction he had gone.

"I ran into the woods screaming his name, hoping my panic would snap him out of whatever mood he was in and bring him back to his senses, but he never came. I ran until I couldn't go any further. I was so deep into the forest by this point, there was no way I was getting out on my own—and by that point I knew he was gone.

"I didn't know what else to do but lay down. I the adrenaline was wearing off, and I could feel this emptiness growing in my chest. It was like a hole was cut right through the center of me. It throbbed, and I could feel it eating at me, getting bigger and bigger.

"I must have fallen asleep at some point, because when I opened my eyes it was pitch black. I couldn't see my hands in front of my face, so even if I had the will to try and save myself there was no way I was moving. I remember feeling being watched, and then being lifted and held against someone's chest.

"Charlie had been flipping his shit, and had asked Billy if any of the Quileutes were better at tracking than his own people. I don't remember much from that night, but I do remember when Charlie had finally gotten me upstairs and into my room, he mentioned Sam had found me, and brought me out of the forest.

"I spent the next week in a nearly catatonic state. After I came out of that, I just sat in my room and stared out of the window. I didn't talk to anyone at school, I only answered questions when someone talked to me, and every night...every fucking night, I dreamed he left me in the woods, and every night I woke up screaming.

"Charlie had no idea what to do, he was sleeping about as much as I was. On the way to school one day he stopped me and told me that he'd had enough. He suggested I go to Jacksonville to live with my mother. It was agony to be in Forks, but it was the last place I had with Edward...some of my memories of him were starting to fade, and I thought that if I left soon all I would have were the nightmares. So I refused, and made a bargain that if I tried to connect with people and do what I could to get better, that he would think about letting me stay.

"After school that day, I realized that my pretending to care wasn't working on all of my classmates. Angela and her boyfriend were okay with me being back. Mike Newton was ecstatic, but the rest were either wary, or downright mean. So I drove straight from school to Billy and Jake's.

"Jacob, as I saw it back then, would be the easiest to pretend with. Christ, I sound like a total bitch saying this, but that's how I was. I was holding onto the memory of Edward—that in itself became my addiction, and I figured out of all people, Jacob would leave it alone.

"I didn't expect for his presence to affect me the way it did. He was always smiling, always attentive, and he didn't push for me to talk. He became very adept at having a one way conversation...but slowly I started responding. I found that I wanted to talk, not about Edward, I wasn't ready then—but anything else. The hole in my chest that I'd had since Edward left didn't hurt when Jacob was around. It was amazing. I began to feel almost human on those afternoons in Jake's garage.

"It only kept getting better as time went on. I was starting to fully realize Jacob's feelings for me, and I knew I let him blur the lines of our friendship in little ways—but I needed the comfort too much to push him away. I knew at the time that I loved Jacob, but I was still muddled on what the capacity of it was."

Leah finally stretched out her legs in the dark. She was relaxed, and her right leg rested against mine. I heard joints crack as she flexed in the dark, and I winced.

"Wow, you sounded like a total cunt, Bella."

"You're not wrong," I hung my head, "I know I used him back then...and I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for that. He deserved better than what he got from me."

"He did." Leah agreed. I heard her fingers lightly drumming on the carpet next to her. I listened to the steady beat and mentally steeled myself for the possible backlash that this conversation would have. "It was wrong, it was fucked up, but I understand the 'why'."

I blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"You were trying to survive," Leah's soft voice filled the closet.

I wanted nothing more then to throw myself across the small space and hug her. Finally I found someone who knew where I was coming from, and though I had expected for her reaction to be volatile, her understanding had taken me completely by surprise.

"I was. If it weren't for Jake, then I don't know..."

"You would've gone out like that?" Disapproval rolled off of Leah in waves.

"I'm not sure...it's a possibility. I wasn't much of a fighter back then. I almost lost Jake's friendship to this wolf thing, and it finally broke me out of the depression I was in. I wasn't going to let him go without a fight..."

"So you got pissed off and punched Paul? Yeah, I saw that. Funny—he's all proud of you now, for it."

I laughed quietly. "Leave it to Paul."

"I just...if Emily had just stayed away this never would have happened. This whole situation is so fucked. It's like how people talk about time slowing down when you're about to get into a car accident or something. I can pin point every little thing about that week, I can remember word for word every conversation Emily and I had. I remember how Sam and I snuck off her first night there and made love on the beach...she didn't meet him in person until the next day." The tapping of her fingers on the floor got louder.

"Sam and I had only started having sex two weeks before that...he was so attentive, and caring. It was the best night of my life. Then, while he was sleeping the next morning, I got up to make him some coffee, and I found a diamond ring that he had gotten for me hidden in one of the drawers in the kitchen. He was going to propose. I cried because I was so happy. I wanted to be Mrs. Uley so fucking bad, it hurt. I was finally going to get what I wanted for years...I was going to tell Emily, but then Sam walked in and got this stupid slack jawed look on his face when he saw her. For a second it was like he was a million miles away...everything was different then."

I reached out and rested my hand lightly on her ankle, choosing to do that then ruin the openness Leah had with a hug. Her leg tensed, but I didn't move—I wanted to show her that I was there for her.

"So, what? Like love at first sight?"

"You could say that," Leah snorted. "Only worse. Imprinting is just one shitty thing among the myriad of reasons being a wolf sucks balls."

"Imprinting?" I was confused. Jake told me lots about the different ins-and-outs of being a wolf. I knew about the fast healing, the pack link, and of course the fact that they all had a bottomless pit for a stomach. Never once did he or any of the others mention imprinting.

"...Fuck me," I heard a thunk as her head hit the wall. She sagged further down, until she had to bend her knees in the confined space.

"What is 'imprinting', Leah?" My voice had a panicked edge to it. If imprinting were as bad as Leah said, then maybe I had a reason to worry as well.

"Don't...don't worry about it, Bella," Leah patted my shin with a small hand. The gesture was meant to be comforting but it just made my anxiety worse.

"Seriously, Clearwater, whatever you're keeping from me, spill it!" Though my words were laced with anger, my body was shaking out of fear. Imprinting was what had gotten in the way of Leah and Sam's relationship...one that was quickly becoming serious to the point of engagement. One look at Leah's cousin, and Sam had suddenly been in love with her. From everything I had seen, it was a real love, but then again, if some mystical wolf power dictated who the man behind the beast loved, how real was the love they felt?

"Jake's going to eviscerate me," she groaned and then straightened up, "fine—I'll tell you. It should be  _him_  telling you, but he's decided it wouldn't be a good idea, though I have no fuckin' clue why." I nudged her hip hard with my foot. "Christ! Alright...so, imprinting is this thing that happens to wolves when they see their mate. From what I've seen from the others...how do I explain this..." Her head hit the wall again. "Have you ever heard Billy talk about how everything is connected? Trees, birds, fish, rocks, all that shit?"

"Yeah."

"Well apparently it is. When the wolf in question sees his imprint, for a second he can see it all. Everything  _is_  connected by these shiny little strands, they zig-zag all over the place connecting everything. You can even see the connections between people. The more strong the relationship, the bigger the strand. All of the strands stay the same, except for the one between the wolf, and his imprint. That one grows, thousands of tiny strands weave together to make this giant cable. This cable connects the hearts of them both. It by all accounts, is unbreakable and absolute."

"So what you're saying is, that Sam saw Emily, this cable thing attached them, and he just stopped giving a shit?"

"Can you shut the fuck up, and let me finish?" I made a noise of discontent, but fell silent. "Now that they're connected, the wolf will do anything for their imprint. He'll love her in any capacity that she allows him, and he'll protect her to the death if he has to. The ultimate goal, we've guessed, is to continue the bloodlines to produce the healthiest babies possible."

"Let me get this right...there's ancient wolf magic that dictates who the guys love with the eventual goal of producing more wolves?"

"You're smarter than you look, Bella." Leah laughed.

"What about Jacob? You mean one day he's going to meet some girl somewhere and then dump me?" I began to shake again. I couldn't endure another loss like that, it'd be too much. I wouldn't lose just another boy I cared about, but the family that came along with him.

"Nope. That ship sailed a while ago," she sighed, "took the others by surprise. It'd never happened before."

"What had never happened before?"

"Up until now, all of the wolves' imprints have been Quileute or from some neighboring tribe," Leah shifted her weight, and crossed her legs at her ankles. "No one had imprinted on a pale face before. Leave it to Jake to shake things up."

It took me a moment to figure out what she had said. Jacob, even before becoming a wolf, spent most of his time on the reservation, and when he left, though polite, didn't really talk to anyone in town. I couldn't remember the last time he had left the area around the reservation or Forks, except for the trip to Port Angles to see the movie with Mike and I. That left only one option.

"He imprinted on me?" I drew my legs away from Leah and hugged them to my chest. This was a big deal. A really big deal. Here I was thinking that he loved me normally and all along he'd been hiding the imprint. I had no idea why. Was he ashamed? Or did he know me well enough to gauge the reaction I was having now.

"Yeah. Right when he saw you running from Paul. That's why he fought so hard. He wasn't going to let his mate die," she said as if it should have been obvious from the beginning.

"Why didn't he tell me?"

"He didn't want you to feel trapped into anything. The others wondered a while back why he hadn't told you, and he went on this long speech about how he had just gotten you back, and that you were wanting to take things slow. He didn't want to feel like he was forcing your hand into something as serious as an imprint relationship. Jake wanted the decision to be yours."

A rush of air escaped my lungs from the breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. I felt a mixture of relief and irritation wash over me. He was waiting for me, like always, but that left him on his own with emotions he couldn't share. It probably ran through his mind more than he wanted it to, and possibly took him off his game while patrolling.  _Idiot_. I was even more upset that he had kept a secret no matter what the reason or intention. I always did everything I could to be honest with him.

"What an ass," I huffed.

"What? You mean you're not going to run to him and have one of those horrible movie scenes where you make out in the rain?" She sounded as shocked as I was mad.

"No. No matter what his reason, he kept this from me. Its not that I'm not happy I'm his imprint. From what you've explained it has a purpose, and both good, and shitty sides and side-effects-"

"Damn right," she growled quietly.

"He just shouldn't have kept things from me. I'm going to do something about it, but I don't know what, yet." I rested my chin on my knees and blinked into the darkness.

"Kim practically started dancing when Jarred told her and explained what it meant," she was beginning to sound bitter again. "She had been crushing on him for years, and he never noticed her until after he phased. If it hadn't been for the imprint, he never would have looked at her. She knows that, but she just feels  _lucky_. It's sick."

"Sound sick," I agreed. "I guess that explains a lot..." I decided to keep my thoughts on imprinting concerning Emily and Sam to myself. I didn't think Sam, Leah, or Emily would appreciate hearing my opinion on the matter. On one hand, Emily and Sam seemed like they were made for each other. There was nothing but smiles, cute words, and a deep sense of need between them. That was great. I loved seeing Emily happy, and Sam as well. What got to me, was the fact that both of them had to know that they probably wouldn't be if it weren't for the imprint. They both  _knew_  that they had greatly hurt someone that was very dear to them both and went with it because fate told them they would be great together.

"You know what the worst part is," all the bitterness had vanished from Leah's voice. Once again she was quiet, and her words were soft. "He still loves me...it's just not enough."

"He told you that?" I couldn't believe that Sam would be so selfish as to tell the woman he spurned that he loved her.

"He didn't have to. Pack link, remember? I can feel what he feels, when he isn't guarding his emotions. He still loves me. He feels shame, and guilt for what happened. He blames himself for me being how I am, now. Even knowing all that...feeling his sincerity...it still doesn't mean a fucking thing. It doesn't change a fucking thing."

"Do you still want him back?"

"No. I would never stoop to that. Not after what he did. Besides, that'd make me no better than Emily." Leah spat her cousin's name.

"Then why do you hold onto all this...hate? It's like it's the only thing that's keeping you from drowning," I tilted my head.

"You think I should let it go and forgive them? After what they put me through? Have you forgiven Edward for what he did?" Tension rolled off of her in waves. I couldn't see if she were shaking or not, and I couldn't feel it now that our contact had been broken.

"Yes," I sighed, "I was sitting in Emily's kitchen that first day, and began thinking about what he was. What he had said to me when we were together. He's a predator. I'm prey. I ignored it then because of my love for him, but after taking time, and a few steps back, I began to wonder if I had been just a game. It would make sense, unlike him actually having feelings for me. I'll probably never know for sure, but if I was just a game...it's their nature. Sometimes predators toy with their food. It's common in the animal kingdom, so why not the supernatural one? You can fight your impulses, and I would go as far as to say you can battle your nature if you're strong enough. He wasn't. For that, I feel sorry for him."

"Asshole predator or not, he still left you in shreds," Leah growled. I wasn't sure if she was mad at Edward for what he did, or if she was mad that I was able to forgive him.

"As shitty as it was at the time, now I'm glad he did." I shrugged and stretched back out.

"What?" She sounded appalled.

"I have so much now, that I wouldn't have had if he never left. I have Jacob who cares for me, and treats me like a person and not a doll. The guys...Emily, they're like family, now. Then there's you. You're hard to get along with, and sometimes I feel like breaking my  _other_  hand on your face, but I'm glad to have you as a part of my new family, too."

"If you try to kiss me,  _I'll_ punch you," she warned.

"No worries there," I laughed, "you're not my type. The lack of a bulge in your shorts is kind of a turn off."

"Yeah, well, thank the gods for small favors." I could hear the smile in Leah's voice. It brought out a smile in me. Once she let her guard down, Leah wasn't bad to be around, and she understood me almost as well as Jake.

We sat in an unusually comfortable silence for a while. The sun was gone and there was no light under the door, anymore. I was thinking about Sam, and what he had said about having her head in the game tonight, but I didn't think she was done sharing just yet.

"How about you take night watch at my place," I suggested quietly, "trade shifts with Jake."

"You'd give up having your boyfriend in your bed to deal with my bitch ass for the night?" The amazement in her tone wasn't lost on me. I heard her move as she pulled her legs in and leaned away from the wall.

"It's not like there won't be other nights...that and we can keep talking if you want." I shrugged, "plus I won't have to hide you from Charlie. That'd be a nice change."

"Sure," she reached out. The door squeaked as it opened. The room was bathed in moonlight. I could see her now, her face wasn't hard as it usually was. She looked to be as happy as someone in her amount of pain could be.

The digital alarm clock read nine forty-three. Leah was late for patrol, and I knew Jacob was probably waiting to drive me back home. I stood on trembling legs and left the sanctity of the closet. Leah followed close behind. I grabbed the plate with the uneaten sandwiches that had probably gone bad, and headed out.

Leah didn't stop to grab anything. She just called out to Sue that she'd see her tomorrow and stepped outside.

There were two forms waiting outside for us when we reached Emily's yard. Jacob stood there with his hands in the pockets of his shorts. Sam's arms were crossed over his chest, as per usual when there was pack business to discuss. Both of them looked mildly anxious. I smiled at Jake, disregarding my irritation with him for the moment. He smiled back and held out his hand for me to take. I slid my small hand in his large one and squeezed gently.

"Ready to go, Bells," his deep voice caught me off guard after spending so much time with Leah.

"Just a second...there's going to be a change of plans," the two men looked at me, "if, it's okay." Sam just looked at me expectantly, but Leah spoke before I could.

"Bella wants me to take night watch at her place, tonight. I'm agreeable to it if Jake is good to switch." She was looking Sam in the eye with no hint of ire, or sadness.

Both Sam and Jacob made noises of astonishment and I felt the weight of their eyes on me. I kept the smile on my face though I knew my motivations were being picked apart. They both seemed slightly worried, and I knew they were curious about what was said while we were gone.

"You sure, Bells?" I nodded and squeezed his hand tighter. He faced Sam and shrugged, "it's fine with me, if that's what she wants. I'll come back and start my circuit after I drive them to Bella's." I almost didn't see the minute nod from Sam before he turned and headed off into the woods.

The ride home was quiet, save from a few questions of Jake. He was dying to know what we had talked about, but I gave him nothing. 'It's girl stuff.' Leah kept saying. Jake would just snort, and stay quiet for a minute or two before trying again. As much as I wanted to bring up imprinting, I didn't. He didn't want me to know, and I wasn't sure how he would feel about Leah letting the secret slip. The last thing I wanted was to cause an issue between the two of them.

When we pulled into my driveway, Leah jumped out of the car and headed to the porch. I watched as she folded her arms under her small chest and tapped her foot as she waited.

Jake pulled me over and kissed me softly on my temple. I twisted my head to meet his lips, and smiled as his brushed mine. His gentleness always astounded me, as did his control over his hormones. He had never once pushed me into going further than I wanted, nor did he get upset when I rolled away to leave him with a tent in his pants.

"You constantly surprise me, Bells," his nose brushed against mine softly.

"The feeling is mutual," I grinned and gave him one last small kiss before leaning back.

"She...Leah...is she okay?" I could tell that he was asking for Sam just as much out of his own curiosity. He had explained a few times how they all knew in graphic detail how she felt, and how it was a constant weight on the pack's morale. They all cared about their sister, but they also missed the days when things weren't so tense.

"Not yet...but I'm working on it," I replied quietly.

"Thanks for helping her," Jacob was watching her pace on my front porch as he rubbed his thumb on the back of my hand.

"She needs someone that understands..." I moved my hand to place it above his right knee. "Its the one thing I wish I'd had when I was like that. It still worked out great in the end, but maybe it would've been a bit easier."

I leaned over and kissed his bare shoulder before opening the door. "Be safe, Jake," I quietly pleaded. I didn't think I'd ever stop worrying when he was on patrol. He just rolled his eyes and waved his giant hand at me telling me to go. I stuck my tongue out at him and slammed the door, and backed up against the cruiser to give him room to leave.

"Took ya long enough," Leah called from the porch.

"He was asking if you were okay," I shuffled over to her and reached to open the door. It creaked as I pulled, stepping back to allow Leah entrance into my home. "It was sweet of him."

Leah snorted and stepped into the foyer. She looked around and began to scope the place out, taking everything in. She stalked around the living room, and back into the kitchen, I heard a grunt of surprise from Charlie.

"Who are you," his wary voice echoed from the kitchen.

I rushed in and saw Leah half way in the fridge. Small clinks, and the sounds of wrappers crinkling were muffled by a loud growl from Leah's stomach.

"Dad, this is Leah. She's me and Jacob's friend," I observed the way his hands gripped the newspaper. His mouth drawn into a tight line. Leave it to Leah to make a bad first impression. "She's staying the night...I hope that's okay." The newspaper fluttered to the table top.

"You never have sleepovers," his head tilted as he watched my hands fidget.

"I know, but she's uhh...having a hard time and really needs a friend," I slid my eyes to Leah who ducked her head out of the fridge to glare at me. "We were hanging out all day, but we weren't done talking so I figured we would just continue here."

"Hmmmm...makes herself right at home, doesn't she," he was clearly not amused by having a strange teenager rummaging through his kitchen. Leah either didn't hear him or didn't care. Her arms were stuffed with cold cuts, and toppings for sandwiches. She headed to the counter and began to make herself dinner.

"Yeah," I scratched the back of my head, a tight smile on my face.

"Leah, huh," his brow furrowed. "Leah who?"

"Uhhh...Clearwater."

Charlie's jaw dropped. He focused in on Leah who was now rigid as she prepared her food. He was looking at her like he had never seen her before, but to his credit, she had changed a lot since she had become a wolf. Not like he would ever know the 'why's'.

"Good to see you, Leah," Charlie sounded nearly on the verge of tears. Harry's death had hit both him and Billy really hard. "Sorry I didn't recognize you...you look really different."

"Needed a change, chief," she briefly pointed up to her hair.

"Looks good," he nodded and finally looked away from her. I hadn't thought about the effect having one of Harry's kids here would have on Charlie. He looked more depressed than he had been in a while. For such a quiet man, Charlie grieved hard. He scooted his chair back and stood. I almost didn't catch the sparkle in his eyes from un-spilled tears. "Well, I'm going to head to bed. You girls have fun, and don't get too loud...better yet, pull out the air mattress for you two. Sleep in the living room so you can watch movies and do whatever it is girls do."

"Okay, dad. Night." He trudged past me without another word and headed into his room.

"Should I go," Leah chewed on one of her freshly made sandwiches as she leaned against the counter. I shook my head.

"He's still upset," I heard his mattress creak as he got into bed. "He's just working though it slowly. You eat, I'll go get everything set up."

 

 

 

It didn't take me long to transform the living room into an area fit for a sleepover. Leah had helped me pull the couch back so I could fit the queen size air mattress between the foot of the couch and the edge of the fireplace. I piled the bed high with blankets for both sides from the linen closet to keep up appearances. I even went as far as to make several bowls of popcorn, and had scalped all the chips and cookies from the cupboards.

I beamed at my creation as I came downstairs in my pajamas. My sweatpants drug on the floor as I walked around the couch to sit on the bed. Leah was posted up on the couch proper. I threw a shirt and some sleep shorts at her, which she caught easily. She eyed the garments, and then gave me a small nod of thanks.

I drew my hands back into the sleeves of Jacob's sweatshirt. And sat on the right side of the mattress. I shifted my legs up onto the blankets and scooted further away from the edge. The edge of the couch propped me up as I reclined. I stared into the empty fire place, while I heard Leah changing behind me. The tank top, and jean shorts she had on landed quietly next to me.

"I don't know what to do about the imprint thing," I nestled further back against the couch.

"There's nothing you  _can_  do," Leah's tone was clipped, "it's all sunshine and rainbows from here on out. Sorry."

"I didn't mean I wanted to change it," I sighed, "I just want to send a clear message to not fucking lie to me anymore."

"Ahhhh, vengeance," she hopped down next to me on the mattress causing my body to bounce up and down from the transfer of weight. "Now we're talking."

"If we do come up with something he'll know. He's in your head half the time," I muttered.

"Shit," her hands played with the hem of her shirt, as she crossed her legs. "Hmmm...maybe we can keep it a secret."

"How?"

"Effort on my part," Leah looked at me with a mischievous grin, "I figured out something the other guys haven't, yet."

"Please, share with the rest of the class," I grinned back.

"In wolf form, everyone is up in the others shit all of the time. I got tired of listening and seeing things real fucking fast. Kim's nice and all, but I didn't want to hear her whispering sweet nothings to Jarred's dick, and if I had to see a replay of you pressing Jake against the door of your truck one more time, I swear on my father I'd kill the both of you!" Her anger didn't change her expression, she was still grinning from ear to ear. "So I began to concentrate on dulling the voices. Now it's to the point where if one of them begins getting pervy, I just shut it off."

"But they can still hear your thoughts," I frowned. "Can't they?"

"That's the thing, because of Sam being the asshole that he is, I don't want him rummaging through my brain to see how I'm feeling or what I'm thinking. I can't give him the satisfaction, so I push all of those feelings into the back of my mind, and focus on my job. If I can ignore something like my feelings for Sam, for the benefit of the pack, I should be able to purposely not think of whatever plan we come up with for a few days."

"The guys don't know how to do this?" I quirked a brow.

"They don't give two shits about what the others see. The only one who kind of tries to control it is Jarred, but that's so Kim'll keep putting out." Leah's eyes rolled in her head.

"Good thing I don't care what they see. I'm pretty sure they all got an eye full of what happened with Quil," I gripped the loose fabric of my sweatshirt into a ball as my hand fisted.

"Oh yeah," Leah patted my shoulder, "but hey—every time he does it sets Jake  _and_  Jarred off. Two on one isn't much of a fight, so Quil spends a good chunk of time with gouges taken out of him."

My fist relaxed. I hadn't expected it to be such an issue that there were still fights over it. "Sam doesn't stop them?"

Leah laughed loudly. "He does...eventually. Letting it carry on for a bit is Sam's way of showing his disapproval. Quil fucked with someone else's imprint. Now all of the guys with one are nervous about him. They get upset whenever he reacts to any of their memories of you guys. Its hilarious."

"Sounds like," I couldn't help but smile with Leah when she let her guard down. "But be honest—what's the funniest fuck up that's happened concerning a memory?"

Leah quieted as she considered my question. Her arms stretched up and out so they laid across the couch cushions. The corner of the mouth closest to me began to twitch rapidly. "Well, there was this one time...right after Quil phased. I wasn't part of the pack yet, but I've seen this so many times I feel like I was. Jake and Quil were running the northern border, going wicked fast. No leeches to be found, right? So Jake's mind starts to wander..." Leah's eyes slid to my face. "He's not even concerned with what anyone can see, he's so into the zone. Running purely on instinct at this point. Quil, though...this is the first time he's seen this particular memory. He turned to look at Jake, and—BAM—runs right into a tree!"

My hands flew to cover my mouth. I was laughing hard, but I didn't want to wake Charlie. I curled forward and pressed the backs of my arms to my legs, but that did nothing to stop the uncontrolled giggles from leaving me. Even Leah was laughing, though hers was low and quiet. We both sat there, laughing at Quil for a while. I had tears running down my face when I was so out of breath that I couldn't laugh anymore if I had wanted to.

I wiped my eyes on my sleeve, "wha—what did he see that made him hit a fucking tree?"

"I seem to recall a certain pair of green and pink watermelon short shorts?" Leah snickered. "The guys wanted to call you Juicy from now on, but Jake threw a fit."

I rolled my eyes. I wouldn't have really cared if the guys had started calling me Juicy. It was just a name, and I wasn't embarrassed by my actions, or the fact that they saw me in them. I had accepted in the beginning that Jake and I would never truly have a private moment, and in a way I felt like I was doing a solid to Kim by keeping some of the focus off her. "So my choice in pajamas is cause for injury in the pack?"

"Just Quil. Jacob is mildly distracted, but not enough to hit a tree. Watermelon shorts are his second most dirty thought besides you two in your truck. I think he tries to keep that out of his mind, now, though."

"Why?"

"The guys were constantly giving him shit for being scared of you." She smirked. "If I weren't a hard ass bitch, I would say he was slightly adorable because of it."

I blinked at Leah. "He was scared? Of me? I mean I knew I caught him off guard, but I thought it was just that."

Leah shook her head and chuckled. "You know you're his first everything so far, right? The only experience he has is what you've given him. He may look like a man, but he's still just sixteen."

Of course I knew all that, but it was only after hearing Leah say it, that it hit me. I knew what I was going to do about his keeping the imprint a secret. I would use my new found information against him, and best of all—he'd love me for it.

"I just thought of something," I bounced lightly on the mattress. Leah bobbed up and down, patiently waiting for me to get my excitement out of my system. "I know how to get him back about lying!"

"Shoot."

"Since my pajamas are a big deal—why not get something to make his jaw drop? Freak him out a little bit. I can back him against the wall, and get him to finally spill it for himself." Leah looked at me like she was seeing someone entirely new.

"That's fucking evil, and brilliant. He can't keep his mouth shut when you do that shit. Fucks with his brain. Power of the pussy and all that," she smirked.

"We should go shopping tomorrow in town and see what we can find," I began running through ideas in my head. Whatever I got, Charlie could never see—that was for damn sure. I didn't want it to be too revealing, not because of the fact the rest of the pack would see, but because I wasn't ready to be too revealed in front of Jake yet.

Wasn't that something men found sexy? The idea of nudity without being fully nude? I could leave just enough to the imagination. That way I could be comfortable, and he could get his rocks off later wondering exactly what he was missing out on.

"I see the wheels turning, Swan," Leah pushed my shoulder lightly with her hand.

I explained my thoughts, and she agreed. However, there wasn't anywhere in Forks proper that sold anything of the sort. The town was too small for something like that. I was about to call the whole thing off when Leah made a disgruntled noise.

"Whats up?" I watched as her jaw worked as it always did when she was thinking about Sam and Emily.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this..." she ran a hand through her hair and sighed heavily. "Call Emily."

"What? Why?" I was thoroughly confused.

"When Sam and I first started having sex, Emily told me about this shop in Port Angles. A lingerie boutique or something. She told me to go there and find something that would stop Sam's heart, but I never got the chance." Much to my dismay, she began to sniffle. "Emily was supposed to take me there while she was visiting...but the imprint happened and..."

Leah trailed off as she began to silently cry. I knew she had to have been thinking of all the things that could have been. My hand reached up behind me and found hers, and suddenly that hand was pulling me over to her side. My head rested on Leah's shoulder as her chest shook with silent sobs. I tentatively put my arm around her waist and hugged her. It felt very odd being this close to Leah, and though it was me that was being held, I understood. Though she was in pain, she wouldn't allow herself to be solely in the arms of someone else, even if it was just a friend.

I sat still, allowing her to get it all out uninterrupted. It was almost midnight when she sniffled again and reached up to wipe her eyes. I moved away slowly, back to my original spot.

"If you tell anyone about this, I'll kill you myself," her voice was hoarse but the threat rang true. "You're making me soft, Swan. I've cried twice today."

"It helps, if that makes it any better," I offered quietly. "I won't tell...but you gotta do something for me."

"What," her voice thick with disbelief. "What kind of...friend offers to keep a secret on a condition?"

"One that's trying to help you help yourself," I smiled. I knew what I was about to ask her to do would be a big step, but after hearing her story today I knew it would be a fat chance in hell that she'd take it herself. Leah was growling, and I knew I was jeopardizing every bit of progress I had made, but it needed to be done. Not only for the benefit of the pack, but for Leah's sanity.

"Just hear me out, Clearwater," I switched to my no-nonsense tone that was often reserved for her brothers, while I shifted so that I was facing her. "Right now, what just happened, I don't think you were crying  _just_  over losing Sam. I think, as much as she hurt you, you miss Emily as well. Why wouldn't you? You both told me that you were very close, and no matter how bad the situation that separated you two, missing someone that meant that much to you is not weakness. It's humanity. No one would think any less of you  _if_ you admitted it. With that said, you're bullheaded and you're not going to take steps on your own. Like it or not, we're friends. I've trusted you with feelings I haven't even told Jake yet, and you reciprocated. I don't have any illusions that we're anywhere near as close as you and Emily were, and I don't want to take her place. As a friend, I want to help you get your cousin back."

Her heated stare was boring through me at this point. She hadn't moved, or tried to interrupt my little speech. Her face gave away no clue as to how she was feeling, and I hoped that I hadn't fucked things up. I gently took her hand from its place on her thigh and held it in both of mine.

"I'm not saying to just up and forgive. That's not who you are, but you need to take baby steps if you're ever going to get there. This trip would be the perfect time to have you two together without Sam around. Hell, we could invite Kim along for a bigger buffer. I'll be there for you, and Kim can occupy Emily. You don't have to talk to her if you don't want to. Just don't go out of your way to be mean." I squeezed her hand. "It's simple. Just  _be_  around her without interacting. If that goes okay, I'll help you work on being able to join the pack for meals so you don't have to sit by yourself anymore."

Her hatred didn't envelope me like I was thinking it would. Leah instead frowned and lowered her head. "I don't think I can do it."

"You  _can_  do it. You're strong, and so far you've survived. Its just going to keep hurting the longer you hold onto all the negativity. You're letting them own you and you don't even realize it."

Leah's head snapped up with a snarl. "Nobody  _owns_  me!"

"If you continue to let them dictate how you feel, and what you do...that sounds like ownership to me." My hands squeezed hers. "I know in my bones that's not what you want."

Leah let out a slow string of curses, and pressed her free hand to the side of her face. She had to have known I was right, but even still I saw her trying to work herself out of this.

"Just give it a try," I shrugged, "that's all I'm asking."

"So if I royally fuck up and chew her out in front of randoms in Port Angles, you won't tell everyone I've been crying?"

I shook my head. "No. What Sam'll put you through will be bad enough once he finds out. I don't need to do anything to make it worse." Leah shot daggers at me with her eyes. "As much as it sucks, this is just as necessary for the pack. This whole thing has you on the outside looking in because your hatred pushes them away. If you work on at the very least being civil, it'll help you there, too."

"I fucking hate that you're right," she muttered and ripped her hand out of mine. "So as long as I put in the effort with Emily, you'll shut your dick holster?"

I nodded enthusiastically and smiled. If I could try with Jake, she could try with Emily, and we could both be there for each other, if she allowed it.

"You're such a manipulative bitch," Leah leaned back against the couch, and turned her head away, but not before I caught a brief glimpse of a smile.

"You love it, Clearwater. Just stay out of my sweats tonight." I spun myself to face the edge of the air mattress and stood. The floor was cold causing me to shuffle from foot to foot until I adjusted.

"I wouldn't give you the honor, Swan. I like dark meat, anyway," she snorted. "...What  _are_  you doing?"

"My feet are cold," I lifted my legs in turn and allowed the length of the pants to cover my feet before I put them back on the floor.

"No—dumbfuck, what are you doing up?" I could practically hear her eyes roll. I ignored her and walked around the back of the couch towards the kitchen. I wanted to get my plan rolling, and if I was going to have any chance of keeping Leah from backing out, I had to act fast. "Seriously, Bella," I heard the mattress object as she rose and followed just a few steps behind.

"I'm calling Emily before you can talk yourself out of anything," I shuffled across the linoleum to the phone, with Leah right behind. "It's only a little after midnight, she'll be up." My companion groaned in protest, but let me dial her cousin's number. Emily and I had traded numbers so we could share information easily on the pack, and had made such use of it that I knew the number by heart.

Emily answered on the fourth ring.

"Hello? Uley residence," I felt Leah stiffen at the greeting, so I reached out and rubbed her shoulder briefly. She just shook her head and walked back into the living room.

"Hey Emily, it's Bella. Hope it's not too late," I apologized quietly, not wanting to make it any easier for Leah to listen in.

"Oh you know it's not. The boys are still out, they haven't come back for food, yet. What do you need?" She sounded a bit anxious. I know she was well aware that I had spent all afternoon with Leah, and I figured she had been made aware of the switch for night watch from Sam.

"I wanted to know if you would like to go shopping with Leah and I in Port Angles, tomorrow," though I was whispering, I couldn't help but let my excitement seep in. I heard a clatter, and a muffled curse before Emily answered.

"Sh-shopping," she stuttered, "with Leah? But she hates me!"

"We talked a lot today, and I finally got her to agree to try and work on things. She's still really upset, and is messed up about...stuff...but she agreed to work on at  _least_  being civil."

"Okay...okay, so what do you need me to do?" Emily's no-nonsense tone reared its head. I figured she would take this shopping trip as a mission, like she usually did for daunting tasks. I grinned against the phone, knowing Emily wouldn't let me down, and most importantly, wouldn't let Leah down.

"Well first, I need you to not talk about Sam in any capacity. That'll be too much, I think. Maybe one day that'll change, but for now, he's a no-go as far as subjects are concerned. Second, call Kim. It'll be less pressure with more people."

"Sure, sure," she still sounded serious, "that shouldn't be a problem. I know she usually stays up late on Saturdays so I'll call her when we get off the phone. I don't think she does much on weekends but homework and see Jarred, so I think she'll be able to come along."

"Great! Now, next thing I need is for you to ask Jake if we can borrow the Rabbit. My truck won't fit four of us in the cab. If you and Kim can drive it to my place, I'll take the wheel, and you and her can chill in the back seat so Leah has room to breathe."

"You sure Jacob will be okay with us borrowing his baby?"

"Tell him...well tell him I need it because I'm planning a surprise for him. The curiosity will bother Jake enough that we'll get the Rabbit." I laughed.

Emily laughed, too. It took me a moment to realize how much I had missed her today. I wouldn't give up having gotten close to Leah, but her cousin was also a friend—one that I was used to spending most of my weekend with.

"Well I'll need to let the guys know to fend for themselves," she sounded a bit wary now. "Or I can just not sleep and leave them stuff in the fridge..."

"Really? They're grown ass men, they can feed themselves for one day while their personal chefs take a small break!"

"I guess you're right," Emily snickered, "I'm just so used to seeing them act like dopes...though I will say, I am deathly afraid of how my kitchen will look tomorrow when we get back."

"I don't think that'll be an issue. They'd get their throats ripped out if they did anything to your kitchen," my mouth curved up into a small smile. "Anyway, I gotta get going, but I'll see you tomorrow...around ten in the morning?"

"Sure, sure," Emily replied.

"See ya."

I hung up the phone and headed back into the living room. Leah was back up on the couch facing away from me, but I could tell by the bend in her arms, that both of them were folded across her chest. Shuffling my way back to my spot, I glanced at her from behind the far arm of the couch. Her jaw was clenching, and her eyes were scrunched tight, but she wasn't shaking. This was a good sign.

"You doing okay?" I dropped back onto the air mattress and stretched out.

"Better than I thought I would be," she stated simply. "Pisses me off that she lives with him, and all that other horse shit, but nothings going to change that, so I guess I have to live with it."

I nodded and watched as she too dropped onto the mattress and laid down. I rolled to face her, and slid a sleeved hand under my pillow. I was getting pretty tired. I was used to being up and about at this hour on the weekends, but now that I was reclined, I felt my eyes getting droopy.

"You'll be fine, it just takes time," I turned my head briefly to yawn into my pillow. "Anyway, she agreed to keep her mouth shut about Sam, so you won't have to deal with that, and I told her just to let you be. No pressure."

Leah blinked at me for a time before one of the corners of her mouth twitched up. "Thanks, Swan."

"Not a problem, Clearwater," I yawned again and pushed my blankets down with my feet, so I could get my body under them. Once I was nestled in the pile of blankets, the warmth made it even harder to stay awake. "Night," I mumbled, my eyes closed.

I heard her laugh quietly as she rolled over. "Night."

I managed to get up in the morning without disturbing Leah. I scanned the living room and noticed that all of the popcorn and a few bags of chips had been demolished. She had probably been up for a while after I had passed out. I couldn't blame her, today was going to be interesting.

Charlie was in the kitchen making breakfast. His fishing rod and tool box were leaning against the back door. The smell of bacon wafted in my direction as he bent over the stove. I padded into the kitchen, making sure to stay silent until I was right behind him.

"Hey," I uttered, purposely making my town low and deep.

Charlie jumped and spun, one hand white knuckling spatula, the other on a gun that wasn't there. Recognition crept over his face as his adrenaline faded. He scowled at me and shook his head slowly.

"Morning, dad," I chuckled and pried the spatula from his hand. His fingers were still clenched around the handle, so I found myself prying them off one by one. With utensil in hand I nudged him away from the stove to take his place. He just grumbled something about scaring a cop and accidental shootings as he headed to the table.

I frowned at how little bacon he had actually decided to cook. Sure it would have been enough for him and I. Maybe even enough for a normal guest, but surely not enough for us and the she-wolf sleeping in the other room. I headed back to the fridge, grabbed the rest of the bacon and dumped it into the skillet. I separated the pieces quickly and left them to cook while I got things together for pancakes and eggs.

I moved with the speed that I usually reserved for Emily's kitchen. Somehow I managed to border on graceful when I was preparing a meal, I never wobbled or tripped as I moved between the fridge, the counter, and the stove.

I was pouring half and half into the eggs when I heard Charlie clear his throat. I eyeballed the correct amount and looked over at Charlie as I beat the eggs. "Whats up?"

"Just wondering why you're cooking to feed a small army," he split his attention pointedly between the pound of bacon, a stack of pancakes, and the twelve eggs I was currently beating.

"Oh...huh...guess I'm just used to cooking like this, now," I shrugged and turned my attention back to the eggs. "All of the guys and Leah eat a lot...think there's something in the water down there."

"She okay?" His voice was gruffer than usual, and I knew he was thinking we were talking about Harry last night.

"Oh, not really...she will be," I cast him a small smile, "she just really needed someone to talk to."

Charlie nodded and rubbed his nose. "You're a good kid, Bella."

"Thanks." I blushed as I finished whipping the eggs into a light yellow froth.

After the eggs were finished I brought everything to the table, and portioned out a plate for Charlie and I. Leah was snoring softly from the other room, and I almost felt bad about having to wake her, but I headed closer anyway.

My foot bounced against the air mattress when I kicked it. Leah sprang up and looked around wildly as her hair whipped across her face. I laughed and headed back to the kitchen.

"Breakfast!" I called out and sat in my usual seat.

"You're lucky you're feeding me, Swan," she growled over the squeaks of the mattress. She was sitting at my side just a few seconds later, pulling copious amounts of food onto her plate. I didn't give it a second thought, but Charlie was watching Leah in awe.

We sat in silence for a while, the three of us focused on our food. I was only half way done with my plate when Leah and charlie both grabbed for the last pancake. He quickly gave up, and let her have it.

"So what are you girls doing today," he spoke into his plate.

"Bella's dragging me to go shopping in Port Angles with Emily and Kim," Leah frowned and tore a chunk off of a bacon strip.

"Bella?  _Dragging_  someone shopping?" Charlie looked at me speculatively, trying to find some chink in my calm demeanor to prove that Leah had been lying. When he couldn't find one, he frowned.

"I need new clothes, pajamas and stuff," I gestured at my current outfit with my fork. "I've been wearing the same outfits over and over. It's starting to get embarrassing. Jacob is lending us his car so we can all go together."

Charlie nodded and began his usual speech about being careful and sticking together. Leah and I exchanged looks of exasperation and rolled our eyes. If only he knew that people would need to be looking out for Leah and not the other way around.

We all finished up, and Charlie offered to do the dishes before he left so that Leah and I could go get ready upstairs. I headed into my room, and Leah to the bathroom.

Putting together outfits was always the worst part of my day. The cold left little to no options in ways of what to wear, so it usually came down to the color palette. Today, however was sunny and nearly warm for Forks. I dug into the back of my closet and found a box of clothes my mom had sent me a few months back. It was full of all of my tank tops and camisoles, most of which had been relegated to pajama duty. However, my favorite one was still neatly folded in the bottom. It looked like a normal black cotton tank top from the front, but the back was all sheer lace. I wore it all the time back in Phoenix, but when my mom sent it to me in Forks, I hadn't been in the mood to dress nice at all. A day out with friends was a perfect reason to wear my favorite shirt.

I decided to be a bit racy and pulled out a hot pink bra from my dresser. I had only gotten it when mom had insisted that every girl needed a bra that made her feel cute, and like a woman. All I did was complain how stupid it was to her face, but secretly I cherished the flashy undergarment. I only had worn it a handful of times, being careful that it couldn't be seen under what I was wearing, I had even worn it one day with the express purpose to flash it at Edward, but had chickened out at the last minute.

I had my bra on and was pulling the tank top over my head when the door opened without warning. I knew it couldn't have been Charlie because he  _always_  knocked. The door closed quietly as I adjusted the hem of my shirt over my jeans.

"Dressing up for me, Swan? You slut!" Leah snickered from the other side of the room. I turned to retort but stopped when she was standing in the same outfit as yesterday. It was as clean as one of the pack's outfits could be after being drug through the woods all day, but still the grass stains were visible on her white beater.

"You know it, Clearwater. Your turn," I opened the door of my closet wider and motioned for her to look through the clothes. Leah looked down at herself and then back at the closet before taking a tentative step forward. I sat at my desk and observed how she slowly looked through my collection of regular clothing. She finally got to the end and had come up empty.

"You dress like a nun. A very cold nun," her remark wasn't off base. This is the most skin I had shown in god knows how long.

"Well, not everything is hanging up, what were you looking for?" I moved to the closet and began pulling out a few more boxes of warm weather clothes that my mother had sent.

"Shorts...my legs are too long to wear your jeans." I opened one of the boxes labeled shorts and scooted it across the floor at her. She began looking through it and came up with a pair that I had worn only once before. It wasn't that I didn't like them, but they were too low cut for me, and way too short. I felt slightly envious that she felt more comfortable in her skin than I did.

"You can keep those," I offered, "I only wore them once. Made me uncomfortable."

Leah smiled and nodded her thanks. I shrugged and knelt down, opening the rest of the boxes to see what was in there. One was all of my light jackets, that barely had a use in Arizona, and were way to light for Washington. There was another that held t-shirts with various patterns. I shoved that one at Leah for her to take a look and opened the last one.

There was a note from my mom on top. She wrote about how she thought a dose of something new and daring would bring me out of my funk. Though Charlie never kept how bad I was doing a secret, I don't think my mom ever really got it.

The box was full of new clothing, all of them still with tags attached. I groaned and began to look through the items. Most of these I wouldn't have thought to look at in a store. There were a couple of crop tops, and a few of the loose tank tops with the really wide arm holes. If anything was working in my favor concerning these clothes, it was that my mom remembered my distaste for graphic prints on clothing. Hidden in the bottom was a few pairs of underwear and a leopard print bra. I couldn't help but laugh as I pulled it out of the box. Leah just looked at me like I was crazy.

"Mom thinks that 'fun' underwear makes you feel like more of a woman," I smirked and tossed the bra over Leah and onto my dresser.

"Your mom sounds insane," she agreed and pulled out a heather gray crop top from the box of new clothes. "You mind?"

"Naw. Just be careful in that outfit later tonight," I warned. I began kicking the various boxes back into the closet.

"Why?" I heard Leah begin to change so I took my time getting everything straightened so that the doors would close.

"Because if you go around the guys its going to be  _your_  shorts that make them run into trees." I heard her laugh behind me, and was blinded for a second as her discarded beater landed on my head.

"Doubt it, they see me as another dude," I heard the rustling of fabric and flinched as one of her delicate fingers poked my shoulder. I turned and to find her dressed. She looked, for the first time that I had met her, truly vulnerable. She had an expectant look on her face, and I assumed she was wanting me to say something about the outfit.

I walked around her and checked out the clothes from all angles. There was a good three inches of space between the hem of the shirt and the waist band of the shorts, even on most slender girls it would be a daring amount of skin to show in public, but Leah had the taught skin of an athlete, and the confidence to pull off such a look without seeming like a total skeeze.

"Quil's going to mess his pants, that's for sure. You definitely don't look like one of the guys." Leah visibly relaxed at the compliment. I sat on my bed and leaned back on my elbows. "What's does he say all the time about that one girl on the rez?"

"'Legs for days'," Leah supplied and snorted. "I've got better legs than  _she_  does."

I nodded in agreement. "That and you've got some serious under butt going on in those shorts. I think Quil, Embry and Paul are going to have a crisis of conscience."

Leah threw back her head as she laughed freely, and I couldn't help but join. We continued postulating about the rest of the guys' reactions when the doorbell rang. Leah's face drew tight at the sound. I stood and patted her on the back.

"It's going to be fine," I reminded her, "don't be rude, just don't do anything you're not ready to do. She understands." I stopped at my dresser on the way out, and grabbed a wad of cash from a box on top. It was a substantial bit of money that I had been planning to spend on a car when I had moved here. Charlie had given me the truck as a gift, and since there really weren't any stores in Forks that I would want to spend it in, I had a bunch of money just sitting around. I headed down the stairs and into the foyer with Leah right behind me.

I opened the door and there was Kim. She smiled nervously at the two of us as her hands fidgeted near her stomach. I had met Kim on a couple of occasions, and she was really sweet, but usually was quiet until she knew someone well enough to let her guard down. I understood the mentality all too well, so I never pushed her, opting to listen to her and Emily chat as we all cooked.

"Hey," her voice was quiet, "ready to go?"

"Yeah," I looked back at Leah who simply nodded. I stepped through the doorway and moved to let Leah pass so I could lock up. After I was done I slipped the key under the mat and headed through the dewy grass to Jake's Rabbit.

I could see Emily shifting uncomfortably from the back seat. The driver's door was open for me already. I slid into the seat at she same time as Leah. Emily swallowed loudly from behind me, when I closed my door. Leah kept her eyes on the windshield, not moving except to blink on occasion.

"Nice outfits," Emily was desperately trying to break the tension. I was beginning to feel bad for asking her to come along. I hadn't seen her anywhere near this worked up since she was figuring out how to tell me the story about her, Leah, and Sam.

"Thanks," I smiled into the rear view mirror. Leah just grunted. It was a start. I put the car in gear and pulled out onto the road, headed for the highway.

"So, where exactly are we going," Kim asked from behind Leah.

"Well, I wanted to do something for Jake."

"You mean  _to_  Jake," Leah snickered.

"Shut your whore mouth, Leah," I glared at the road, "I hadn't told them, yet..."

"Told us what," Emily leaned forward to rest her chin on the back of my seat. "We're not going shopping?"

I sighed. "No, we are going shopping," I slid my glare in Leah's direction. "Just didn't tell you the reason  _why._ "

"Is something wrong?" Kim's voice was shaky and slightly panicked.

"She found out about the imprint," Leah turned her head towards her window and aimed her answer at Kim. "We were talking yesterday, and I let it slip on accident. She wants revenge."

"Revenge?" Emily's tone was full of disbelief. "Why? You aren't happy?"

"I'm happy, I just don't like having secrets kept from me," I groused. "He promised me that first day that he would tell me everything. He didn't. Thus,  _revenge_."

"I can see that," Emily's head nodded into the back of my seat. "So what's the plan?"

Leah just chuckled darkly as I tried to figure out how to word it. I couldn't fully explain how my plan would work without cluing Kim into what the guys passed around in their heads, but I hoped laughing at Quil's expense would be enough to lighten the mood.

"Okay, so you know that the guys share memories and thoughts without trying when they're phased, right?" A peek in the rear view mirror let me see them both nod. "Well I cooked for Jake the first time he stayed the night, and he was very...overcome with emotion at my state of dress." A glance back showed Kim looking nervous. "I was completely clothed, he was just preoccupied by my shorts. So much so that he thinks about it a lot. Quil being...well, being Quil got distracted and ran into a tree."

Emily burst out into a loud laugh, and even Kim lost herself into a fit of giggles. Leah just sat silently smirking. I continued to relay the memory of Jake and I in the car, and how Leah and the others could sense his fear. Emily 'hmmm'd and leaned back into her seat.

"Can't take a forward woman? Wow. I keep forgetting how young he is," I heard Emily sigh heavily.

"Its like Leah was saying last night. I'm his first everything, and to be honest, aside from kissing, he's my first as well. He has the same effect on me when he gets all smirky and confident, the difference is, I don't show my fear like he does."

Kim had been quiet for a while, so I cast a glance back at her. "You okay, Kim?"

"Just wondering what all the guys have seen me doing," I watched as her face turned pink.

"Not going to lie, they've probably seen some intimate things-"

"Oh yeahhh," Leah leaned her head back against her head rest, and Kim's face went from pink to red.

"Not helping, Leah," I chided before taking a hand off the wheel to pat Kim on her knee. "Kim, seriously, none of the guys do it intentionally. I've seen how Jarred looks at you, and I know for a fact he wouldn't purposely broadcast private moments if he could help it." I retracted my hand to place it back on the wheel.

"But he has you, and Embry, Paul, and Quil's various women in his mind all the time...I don't like it, it bothers me. I should be the only one he sees like that, it's like I have to share him with other girls and I'm not that type of person."

"Neither am I, Kim. I just accepted the fact that whether its something they can eventually learn to control, or not, it's going to happen from time to time."

"I still don't like that your butt is in his mind all night," she pouted.

"Ahhh, but your butt is his butt, and therefore the best butt," I giggled. "My butt is an unwelcome thought in his head, I assure you. Quil, however..."

"Wants to be buried in it," Leah barked.

"Fucking gross," I scrunched my nose, and to my surprise, Emily began to laugh again.

"Thanks for the show of solidarity, Emily," I glared at her through the mirror.

"Sorry...I'm sorry, its just so true," Emily wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Quil really needs a girlfriend to occupy his time so he quits flaunting the fact that he touched your boob."

"He's such an ass," I frowned, "I'm surprised he still has his hands."

"You should have taken them yourself, Feisty Werewolf-Puncher," Leah brushed her hair out of her face. "I mean, calling down the wrath of the pack was quick thinking, but you would have scored more brownie points with the guys if you'd just cleaved his meat mitts right off."

"I should have," I relented, "but the only reason why I connected with Paul's hard head was because he wasn't expecting it. I think the guys know to watch themselves, now."

"We're off topic," Kim spoke quietly, "so what's this revenge plan?"

"So," I cleared my throat, "since Leah told me what's been going on in the pack's mind, and what Jake has been thinking and feeling, I decided to use it against him. I'm going to make him sweat, and goad the truth out of him by any means necessary."

"You're willing to go that far just so he'll admit you're his imprint?" I caught Emily's eyebrow shoot up in the mirror. "That's not a reason to have sex."

"It's not going to get that far," I shrugged my shoulders, "I'm ready to loosen the reigns a little, but not that much. I'm mostly going to be using the idea of sex to my advantage."

"That's...wow," Kim's voice was even softer than before. I caught a look of mild disapproval but I didn't say anything.

"He deserves what he's getting," Leah stretched out her legs and folded her arms over her bare stomach. "For one he shouldn't have kept  _that_  a secret—that's fucked. Second, he won't get mad. He benefits not only from the sexy revenge, but also because he won't have to agonize over if he should tell her or not, anymore. Everything will be out in the open. Win, win."

The two women in the back nodded and fell silent. Leah didn't offer anything more to move the conversation along, and I was unsure of what to talk about. I allowed myself to just concentrate on the road for a while.

We were about ten minutes to Port Angles when I glanced in the mirror and saw Emily looking worried. Her hand went to her face and lightly traced one of her scars. I saw Kim lean over and lean her head on Emily's shoulder.

"It'll be fine, Emily," she whispered.

"Whats wrong?"

"I haven't been outside in public since..." Emily trailed off and glanced at Leah. Without mentioning the situation with Sam we all knew what she was talking about. Leah shifted in her seat and continued to stare out the window, but I could see her eyes glistening slightly.

"Oh," I said frowning. I hadn't thought about that. To be honest I didn't even notice Emily's scars most of the time, anymore. They weren't important in the grand scheme of things. She was still a beautiful person inside and out. "I'm sure everything will be fine," I smiled hopefully.

Emily tried to smile back, but I could tell it was forced. Seeing her like this was so unnatural for her. I hated it. I wished she could feel just fine going out in public, but I knew no matter what I said the anxiety would still be there. All I could do was make it the best time I could.

"So, Leah told me you know of some lingerie boutique in town?" Emily seemed grateful for the change of subject, and this time her smile was real.

"Yeah, it's a little off the main drag, it's not really a boutique—it's rather large, but all they sell is night wear of all kinds. Most of it is pretty tame, but I can understand why they wouldn't put it in easy view of tourists. Some of that stuff is intense." Kim seemed perplexed but didn't ask questions.

"I really don't think I'll be needing anything of the intense variety," I made a face which caused Kim and Emily to giggle. Leah just mumbled 'pussy' under her breath.

It only took a couple more minutes to find the shop. You couldn't see the store from the street, but there was a sign with a picture of a corset that pointed down an alley between two buildings. It looked sketchy as hell, but Emily didn't seem put off by it, so we all followed her closely down the alley.

Inside was a whole other story. It was sleek, well-lit, and by the looks of a price tag that I caught from a night gown by the door, moderately expensive. I was taken aback by how cozy the shop felt. The walls where a creamy white that complimented the birch floors perfectly. All the lighting was recessed and the shelves were simple and stylish.

I scanned the store to see where the best place to start would be. More every day pajamas were close to the door, while the back wall held the more intense things that Emily had spoken of.

We split off into pairs to begin our search. Leah stuck close to me as we wandered through the sea of chest high racks. Neither of us reached out to touch anything, we both seemed to prefer meandering and waiting for something to catch our eye.

On occasion, Emily and Kim, who had delved deeper into the store, would call out my name and hold some terrifying strappy death trap up for me to pass judgment on. By the looks of most of them and their lack of fabric, I might as well save my money and be naked. When the racks weren't blocking my view of the others, I caught sight of a growing pile of merchandise over Kim's arm. She was the last one that I expected to get anything here.

Emily's pile was considerably smaller, and was mostly comprised of bras and panties from what I could see. She was a serious shopper by all accounts. There was never an item in her hand that she hadn't spent minutes debating over.

A hand knocked into my shoulder, so I turned and saw Leah motion with her head for me to follow her deeper into the store. We stopped about half way in, in what seemed to be the area for lace.

I quirked a brow at her, wondering why she thought this particular spot was a good one. The lace was mostly white or black, and was fashioned into all sorts of different styles, and I couldn't deny that a lot of them were gorgeous, but her reasoning wasn't obvious to me.

"You were going on about being covered but visible? Fucking lace, Swan," she sighed heavily, "it's pretty much what you were describing. Quit wasting time and pick your shit out, I'm starting to get hungry!"

"Sure, sure," I turned my attention to the racks, and tried to take a page out of Emily's book. I pulled each item away from the others so I could get a better look. Some got put down, others got flung over my casted arm. I decided to stick with black, seeing as how there would be an extreme contrast between whatever I wore and my skin. I walked around another rack and spotted something that immediately drew my attention.

I pulled the garment off of the rack and smiled. It was simple in its design, didn't look like it would be confusing to put on and best of all reminded me of the tank top I was wearing now. This top, however, was mostly comprised of lace. The only part that wasn't was a strip of thin, soft black cotton over where my breasts would go. I laid it to rest on top of my armful of less daring picks and began to search for where the matching bottoms would be.

The others had found it first. There was a section across the width of the room just for lacy bottoms. Leah and Emily, with Kim between them were quickly searching through the racks. As I walked over I saw Kim come up with a pair of what seemed to be watermelon pink shorts. She held them in front of her, blocking my view, and showed the shorts off to the others. Leah's hand whipped to her face to cover a guffaw, and Emily just snickered.

"What are you guys laughing at," I frowned as I neared them.

Kim turned around smirking, with the pair of shorts in hand. "These are perfect, Bella."

The shorts were made of a shiny watermelon pink satin, and from the looks of the cut were meant to cover only the bare minimum. The detail in the shorts that I hadn't noticed on my way over, was the little watermelon slice cut outs that were randomly placed all over. I would have immediately turned it down, save for the fact that the half moon shapes had a panel of lace sewn into the inside.

"Holy shit," my eyes widened at Kim after a moment, "these  _are_  perfect!" Kim nodded knowingly and handed me a pair to try on, which I immediately headed off to do.

The dressing rooms were off in the far side of the building by all of the corsets. I pulled the curtain closed on one of the little booths and began to strip. I only really needed to try on the lace top and the satin shorts to find the perfect size. Everything else that I had grabbed was more of my usual fare of camisoles, pajama pants, and cotton sleep shorts.

I pulled the lace top down over my head and slid my arms through before I turned to face the mirror. I gazed at my reflection for a bit, not knowing if I liked what I was seeing or not. There was nothing wrong with the fit, but I just didn't know if I could pull this off with my lack of endowments. When I had originally envisioned it on me, my chest had been larger, as it usually was in my minds eye. Coming back to earth and seeing myself in my true form was slightly ego crushing.

I popped my head out of the curtain to find Kim and Leah standing outside. They both must have noticed my apprehension because the two of them waved me out in unison. I walked out in the lace top and my jeans. Kim's head tilted as she was formulating her opinion, and Leah simply walked around me like I had done to her earlier.

"That bad?" I bit my lip. Their extended silence was making me nervous.

"No, not bad," Kim shook her head causing wisps of her long dark hair to fly across her face. "I think it suits what you're going for."

"But do I look too...flat?" I felt a small slap on the back of my head from Leah, who finished her revolution by coming to a stop in front of me. "The fuck, Leah?"

"You are not  _flat_ ," Leah spat, "you're in proportion for your size. Do you know the problems that come with large tits? Back pain, drooping, boob sweat, fucking pigs constantly looking at your chest and not your face." Leah put her hands on my shoulders and peered down at me. "Be glad for what you have."

I nodded vigorously not wanting to risk another slap, or worse yet, have her go into depth about boob sweat. I thanked them both and headed back into my dressing room to try on the shorts.

I ended up getting a smaller size in those because the pair I tried had too much extra material. I was iffy about some of the placements of the cut outs but I would deal with that later. I had enjoyed myself, but the shopping was starting to wear on me. Like Leah, I was also getting hungry.

Everyone except for Leah walked back into the alley with a bag of their own. We had decided on doing lunch before heading home, because none of us wanted to go back just yet. We settled on a small cafe across the street. It seemed busy, as the patio was full, but when we walked into be seated there were a selection of tables open. Though I was talking to the hostess, I noticed Emily's change in demeanor as we stood at the entrance to the cafe. Her head was lowered, and she had pulled her hair down to hide her face. I didn't want to make her any more uncomfortable so I asked the hostess if we could have a table in the back.

Luck was on our side, as one had just opened up. We trudged to the back, and sat. I was across from Emily, and Leah was across from Kim. The two tables to our right were empty, so Emily had a descent buffer from curious eyes.

We ordered our drinks and three of us settled into comfortable conversation. Leah's eyes were scanning the rest of the cafe, narrowing at a table every now and then. I knew she was listening to people's conversations, but for what reason I didn't know. I decided not to bother her, and turned back to look at Emily when a couple shadows crossed over the table.

Frowning, I watched as the hostess seated two young men at the table next to us. They were dressed casually, and were well groomed. I kept my gaze on Emily but watched them out of my peripherals. They were checking us out, and weren't even trying to hide it. I found it annoying—I just wanted to enjoy my afternoon with my friends without issue, and from the rising volume of the two men, I wasn't going to get my wish.

Emily had her face turned toward Kim, and they were going on about what Kim had decided to buy, and debating on what Jarred would do when he saw them. None of us could decide if he would pass out, or if he would blow his wad where he stood.

Our waitress arrived with our drinks, passing them out to us from between our table and the guys next to us. The waitress put down Emily's glass of tea, and Emily, being Emily, turned to thank her.

Emily had done so good at hiding her face since we had entered the cafe that no one except for us and the hostess had seen her scars. The hostess, had enough manners to know that she shouldn't stare or be rude. I had decided then to make sure to tip her on the way out.

This waitress however, didn't hide her reaction at all. She dropped the tray she was using to carry the glasses sending it crashing to the floor. The woman's hands flew to her mouth as she stared at Emily in horror. This caused a chain reaction within the cafe. The guys at the next table that had been checking us out turned to see what had caused the commotion. One look at the scene and their faces scrunched up and they both looked away in a hurry. The other patrons all turned or stood to see what was going on, but none of them could see anything but the back of Emily's head, and the waitress that wouldn't stop staring.

Leah cleared her throat so loud that if it had been under any other circumstances it would have been comical. The waitress' gaze snapped to Leah, and she shook her head as if she had been under some sort of trance. She quietly mumbled an apology, picked up the tray, and headed into the kitchen.

I could tell from the way she had sunk into her chair that Emily was mortified. Her worst fear about being out in public had come true. Over her shoulders I could still see people staring and whispering about what might have caused the waitress to drop her tray. I glared at them, and a few of them turned, but the braver ones continued to gawk and whisper.

The worst offenders were the guys at the table next to us. Apparently after the shock of seeing Emily's scars, had worn off, she had turned into some sort of novelty. The one sitting next to me leaned across the table to his friend.

"I have no idea how she can go out like that. It's like, do you want to be stared at?" The man glanced between his friend and Emily a few times. "Maybe she did it to herself for the attention. You know how girls cut themselves..."

"Probably," the other man said lowly, "such a shame, though. Her normal face is really pretty. Not like it makes up for the other half," he shook his head slowly.

"What a waste," the one next to me huffed.

I was white knuckling my glass at this point, as I stared straight ahead. After hearing the last remark, Emily had started to silently cry, and Kim was rubbing her back trying to be of some comfort. I wanted to be there for her but I was afraid of what I would do if I allowed myself to move. I already knew what I was capable of with Paul, and he was twice the size of these guys, but I didn't want to draw any more attention to the situation than was necessary.

Didn't they see her? Didn't they know that she could hear them? Or were they the type of people that saw those with issues as less than human. If the guys were here, these douches would've been toast. The pack hated it when anyone disrespected women, especially if she was one of theirs.

I was taken from my thoughts by a flash off to my right. I whipped my head to see the guy next to me with his extended arm holding out an iPhone. The phone flashed again, and I heard a click. He was trying to take pictures of Emily?  _That_ _'_ _s it_. I reached out and slapped his phone out of his hand. It fell to the floor, and as soon as it landed, I drove the point by kicking it across the cafe.

"What the fuck?" The guy next to me screamed, before ducking his head to see where his phone had gone.

"Emily, go to the car," I said quietly. I reached in my pocket and handed her the keys, which she took with a shaky hand. I had no idea what would happen because of my actions, but the last thing I wanted was for her to be involved. Emily stood, grabbed her bag, and then mine and reached for Kim's as well. Kim handed it to her but stood to follow Emily out.

Meanwhile the guy next to me was still looking for where I had sent his phone off to. His friend was glaring at me while I blankly watched two of my friends walk out. As soon as they were past the front door, I narrowed my eyes back at the man.

"What? Looking for something horrible and insensitive to say about me, too?" I felt very warm, and I realized I was probably red in the face from how angry I was. I took a sip of water, hoping it would help to cool me off a bit, but it did nothing.

The man opened and closed his mouth a few times trying to figure out what to say. I was sure that somewhere in that waste of a brain, he knew he was wrong for what he said, but he didn't seem like the type to admit it, especially to a teenage girl that was staring him down.

"You don't have the right to touch my shit," the other one yelled as he surfaced from under the table. His face was probably as red as mine, and he had this crazy look in his eyes.

"You don't have the right to speak that way to my friend," I kept my voice even and controlled.

"You can't expect to look like that, and not have anything said," he guy looked flabbergasted that I hadn't come to that conclusion on my own. "If she didn't want to hear what people have to say about how she looks, she should have stayed home!"

"She is not an object, or a sideshow act. She is a human being that you said horrible things about knowing that she could hear you." I stood and took a few bills from my pocket and placed them on the table. "You are the most pathetic excuse for a human being that I have ever met."

I moved to side step through the two tables, but the one that had been seated next to me grabbed my wrist to stop me. His grip on my wrist was borderline painful.

"You can't leave! You owe me a phone!" He tried to pull me closer but I held my ground. My arm was stretched between the two of us and neither was about to give.

"Let me go, fuck nut," I jerked my arm again.

"Not until you pay for what you broke!" He pulled back.

Leah was suddenly behind me with her hand over the man's. "Let her go,  _now_ ," she growled over my shoulder. His only response was to squeeze me tighter.

Without warning to the men, or to Leah, I whipped my casted arm through the air, twisting my torso as I went. The man was pulled forward a bit by my sudden movement, so the part of my cast just below my wrist made contact with his head just behind his ear. Unlike with Paul, I didn't feel any of my bones break, there was only a loud 'crack' that filled the cafe.

The man dropped my hand, and cradled his head, his friend's chair scraped the polished concrete floor loudly as he stood. He dwarfed Leah and I in both bulk and height. His face was tight with anger.

"Get out of our way," Leah spat. She was closer to him than I was. I turned my head away from the first man, who was now bleeding, and towards the hulking one across from him. He was looking past Leah directly at me.

"You can act like a man, but can you handle being treated like one?" His words were for me alone. I just stared him down like I had done with his friend, I wasn't going to dignify this caveman with an answer. "I asked you a fucking question!"

He leaned forward as she had spoken to close the distance. Leah, who had probably been using all of her control to not cause a panic in the cafe, snapped. I saw her body shift slightly as her arm pulled back, to aim a punch at the big guy's face. He saw too, but didn't have time to move away before her fist connected. She hadn't even tried to hold back. The man flew back across his seat and into the empty table next to theirs. He crashed to the floor, breaking the table and a chair on the way down.

Leah didn't even stop to admire her work, she simply looked at me, and then headed for the door. I followed quietly, well aware that eyes were following us the entire way out. I didn't care. Those assholes deserved what they got. Emily should never have had to be subjected to such cruel and thoughtless words. All I could hope was that maybe they thought about what came out of their mouths from now on.

I found that as I got closer to the car, I became more angry. I hated myself in the moment, for letting the men say what they did, before I put a stop to it. I was pissed because I didn't smash that guy's phone and make sure it was completely unusable. I didn't want him to be able to take pictures of unwilling participants ever again.

I was so enraged by the time we reached the car that I was shaking like I was about to phase. Leah just looked at the state of me with her mouth in a tight line, and held her hand out for the keys. I held them out over her waiting palm, and though I was trying to keep my hand still, the keys clinked together rapidly. There would have been no way that I could have kept the Rabbit straight on the way home. I dropped the keys into her hand and brushed past her to the passenger door.

It was open, and the front seat was still pressed forward. Emily had thrown herself across the backseat with her head in Kim's lap as she sobbed loudly. I wordlessly pushed the seat back and sat down, pulling the door closed behind me. Leah was already turning on the car, and preparing to take off.

"What happened," Kim raised her voice over Emily's wails.

"Nothing that those assholes didn't deserve," Leah snapped. She pulled the Rabbit out onto the road and headed in the direction of Forks. She wasn't careful with the Rabbit like I was, she was speeding and weaving between cars until she had gotten outside of Port Angles. Then she slowed down so that she was at the speed limit, but just barely. I knew she was wanting to put as much distance between the situation and us as possible, and I didn't mind. The last thing I needed was to end up in a cell for assault. This was just one more thing that Charlie could never find out about.

"Bags in the back?" Leah asked over her shoulder.

"Yeah," Kim nodded as she stroked Emily's hair, "they're all there."

"I want to go home!" Emily sobbed into Kim's lap. I knew I should turn around and try to help comfort her, but I couldn't. My anger was overwhelming me to the point that I wanted to yell at Emily for crying over a situation that wasn't her fault. I settled for staring out the window the rest of the way home, with my fists clenched on my knees.

The drive home seemed a lot shorter than the one there despite the crying and the tension that permeated the air. Kim, and Leah of all people were the only ones that seemed to be in control of themselves. Kim was dutifully trying to sooth her friend, and Leah was driving at a speedy pace back home. I was surprised when we ended up outside my house and not Emily's.

Leah didn't say a word when she left her seat. She grabbed my bag out of the back and ran into my house after making use of the spare key. She was in there for only about a minute before she was back on the porch locking up again. Leah had a small smile on her face as she sat back in the driver seat and pulled the door closed behind her. Her gaze slid over to me, "not  _everything_  has to go to shit.:"

"Oh," I hadn't even been thinking about that, but Leah had made sure that Jacob wouldn't see what I had purchased until I was ready. "Thanks, Leah."

"Not a problem. Just try and calm your shit, Swan," she headed back out of my neighborhood and turned on the highway towards LaPush. "The guys are going to be freaked enough as is."

She was right, there was no doubt about that. Sam was going to lose it, and Jacob was going to want to go after the guy that had grabbed me, not to mention the big one that threatened me. I could only hope that if I wasn't so visibly upset, that he wouldn't seek them out. It was easier said than done, though. I was still visibly shaking, and my face was contorted into a sneer that would have made Lauren proud.

The only one of us that had seemed to calm down any was Emily. She had finally sat up, and though she still had tears running down her face, she was no longer sobbing. Her hands frequently made their way to her face to wipe away the tears, but fresh ones always replaced them. It was certainly going to be an interesting time when we got back to the reservation.

We pulled up into Emily's yard and I for one was grateful that the guys weren't waiting outside. Leah turned off the Rabbit and handed me the keys back. I hastily shoved them in my pocket and got out to pull the seat forward. Kim and Emily emerged from the back of the car. I could see a large tear stain on Kim's jeans, from Emily's cryfest on the way home. She just looked at me and shrugged as if it happened all the time.

Emily didn't say a word to any of us as she walked into the house. I went to follow her in, but I got no further than the end of the hallway when I heard her bedroom door close. I completely understood not wanting to talk, she was probably figuring out how to keep Sam calm.

When I re entered the main room, Kim was sitting at the dining table with her bag from the lingerie store at her feet, and Leah was hovering in the doorway.

"You're still shaking," Leah pointed out. She wasn't telling me anything that I didn't already know, but I was at a loss as to how to make it stop. Kim looked between the two of us and then glanced into the kitchen. I followed her gaze and noticed that it was already time for Emily and I to be starting dinner. I didn't think I could do it by myself, but I knew that Emily was in no state to be around anyone at the moment.

"Kim, Leah, would you help me cook?" I looked to both of them with pleading eyes. "If we don't have something ready by the time the guys get back this is going to look even worse."

"Of course," Kim stood and headed to the sink to wash up. I knew that though we weren't very close, she didn't seem the type of person to leave someone hanging if they asked politely. Leah however continued to stand in the doorway, looking at the floor as if it were lava.

"Its fine, Leah," I waved her off and followed after Kim, "you've made more than enough steps for today." I heard her issue a sigh of relief, and when I turned around to grab a hand towel, saw that she had sunk to the floor in the doorway.

"What are we making?" Kim's head was in the refrigerator. She began spouting off various ingredients that Emily kept in her fridge. I listened until she stopped and then headed to look in the pantry.

"Pasta would be easiest," I loaded up my arms with boxes of dry pasta and began carting them to the island. "We can do a chicken alfredo quick and easy. I don't think they'll mind." Kim nodded and began to pull chicken out of the freezer.

"I'll listen for the pack...give you some warning," Leah called from the door.

"Thanks, Leah," I called back and went to find a few large pots. We had cooked pasta for the guys before, so I knew how many boxes were needed. Alfredo was something I cooked for Charlie all the time, and from Kim's list of what was in the fridge, Emily had the ingredients there.

Things went smoothly for the next two hours. The chicken was boiling in a big pot on the back of the stove, and the sauce was simmering in front of it. I hadn't started the pasta yet, that would go on as soon as Leah noticed the guys getting close. None of us had really talked much since we had agreed on what to cook. That was fine with me, because I wasn't sure I could handle any discussion of what happened in the cafe, yet.

I sent Kim to go check on Emily a couple of times, but each time she came back after not getting an answer from her. She had locked herself in her room, and there was no telling when she was coming out. Kim announced her return from Emily's room for a third time with a loud sigh.

"Whats up?" I kept my eyes on the pot of boiling chicken.

"Her crying is louder than before, and she hasn't unlocked the door yet. I think we're going to have to get Sam to break the lock," she frowned.

"I'm seriously regretting not stomping on that ass hat's phone when I had the chance," I mumbled.

"Yeah, I'm having some regrets as well," Leah's voice floated in from the threshold. "If I had adjusted the angle of my punch a little bit more, I would have sent the dude's nose into his brain."

"Wouldn't that've killed him?" Kim's voice trembled.

"Probably," Leah's voice was nonchalant. "He was trying to get all up in Feisty's business."

"My knight in shining armor," I used a tong and a fork to break apart a piece of chicken to see if it was white throughout. I checked a few more and decided they were done, and began placing them on a plate next to the stove so I could begin to cut them.

"Someone's gotta watch your lily ass when you go psycho," Leah leaned her head outside for a moment before righting herself. "They're on the way."

Kim immediately began pouring all of the dried pasta into the pot of boiling water on the right side of the stove top and set the kitchen timer for twelve minutes. While she was doing that, I was trying my best to cut the chicken without taking off a finger. I wanted to get as much of dinner done before the guys showed up and started asking questions.

"They're here," Leah groaned as she stood and leaned her body into the house. "If you need me I'll be outside...I'm not ready to come in just yet." I heard the porch creak as she retreated. Kim whimpered quietly and resumed her position at the dining table, I made sure to give her a reassuring smile before dumping the chicken into the sauce.

All I had to do now was wait for the pasta to be done. I didn't quite know what to do with myself so I settled for leaning on the island. I could hear the laughing and joking, now, and I couldn't help but to smile despite the anger that still radiated through me.

Sam, as usual, was the first through the door. He immediately looked toward the kitchen to where Emily usually was, but came up empty. The happiness on his face melted away into concern. Emily, no matter what, was always here to greet him when he came in. He looked between Kim and I, neither of us were able to meet his gaze.

"What's wrong," he went to take a step forward, but settled for staying where he was. At his question, both Jarred and Jacob walked through the open door and looked at each of us.

"Emily's crying," Sam's face became pinched in anger, which he directed out the door. "No, no. It wasn't Leah. These two guys at the cafe we went to for lunch were saying horrible things about Emily right in front of her. They were acting like she wasn't a person, or couldn't hear or something."

Sam's fists began to shake, which for the topic of discussion was a mild reaction. Kim however, looked like she was going to need to run from the room at any moment.

"I sent Emily and Kim to the car, and then Leah and I dealt with them as best we could," I tried to ignore the irritation and worry on Jacob's face as he walked over to me. He reached out to take my hand, which I turned palm up so he could put his hand in mine. Out of nowhere, he made a disgruntled noise. I looked down and noticed a crack in my cast running from the base of my palm all the way to where it ended near my elbow.

"What did you do, Bells?" He lifted my arm and showed Sam and Jarred the crack in my cast. Both of them looked like they were torn between annoyance and amusement. Kim's loud gasp, however, was enough to usher the rest of the boys into the room to take a look. Paul started laughing, while Quil flinched. Embry was shaking his head, and Seth was wide eyed. Behind all of them I saw Leah's dainty hand above their heads giving me a thumbs up.

I couldn't help but feel proud of myself, I knew I had hit the guy hard, but I had no idea that you could hit someone hard enough to crack a plaster cast.

"Well, like I said this guy and his friend were saying some really fucked up shit, and Emily heard all of it, and I didn't say anything because I didn't want to cause a scene and draw more attention," I frowned. "I should have, but I didn't because I thought it would have just made Emily feel worse. But then one of the guys took out his fucking phone and started to try and take pictures of her!" The boys all growled, but none was louder than Sam. I knew that if he had any idea who those guys were they would be dead, and soon. I looked down at my cast and tried to figure out how to word what happened next.

"Feisty went fucking nuts," Leah's voice broke through my train of thought. She sounded proud, and that made me smile a bit. "She slapped the phone right out of the guy's hand and then kicked it across the cafe before he could react! She's a quick little fucker when she wants to be, I'll give her that. Then she just calmly hands Emily the car keys and sends her and Kim out, like she knew shit was going to go down." All of the pack was looking at her now, waiting for the rest of the story. She swallowed, took a deep breath and took her first step into Emily and Sam's house. She moved slowly like the floor would swallow her if she sped up, but she found her way to the dining table and sat next to Kim. Leah took a few more deep breaths before continuing:

"So, Feisty, being smooth as fuck, throws some money on the table and gets up to leave, but the guy with the trashed phone grabs her and won't let go. He's whining and bitching about her paying for a new one, but she just keeps telling him 'no' and trying to pull herself away. Then I'm right behind her, ready to jump the guy if I need to, and she just hauls off and smashes his head in with her cast. Made the dude bleed pretty bad." Leah reclined further into the chair and laughed. "Then his friend tries to get all up in her shit, too. Saying something like he's going to treat her like a man since she wants to act like one, or some shit. So I punched him in his stupid fucking face before he could try anything, and we left."

The room quickly became noisy with all of the guys either congratulating Leah and I, or trying to get us to reveal what the two men looked like so they could find them and teach them a lesson. Sam remained quiet, and just looked off at the hallway, seemingly undecided as to the best course of action. I felt bad for Sam, never before had I seen him look lost. It was obvious that he wanted to go comfort Emily, but at the same time, he had to be feeling immense guilt because he was the person that had disfigured her.

As if on cue, Emily walked out into the main room. Her face was still red from sobbing, but the tears seemed to have finally dried up. She looked at Sam, and gave him the smile she reserved for only him, trying to let him know that she was okay and didn't blame him for the days events. They just looked at each other for a moment, before Sam called for the guys to quiet down. Emily simply turned and headed for the stove to begin to get dinner plated for everyone.

"Are you okay, Bells," Jacob whispered into my ear.

"Still a little angry, but other than that, fine." I whispered back. He still had his hands on my cast, and he was wiggling the edge of it making the two sides move back and forth. It looked to have been cracked all the way through.

I was due to get my cast off soon, anyway, so I didn't really care. The only problem I saw was explaining how I had managed to crack the thick plaster.

"Can you break it? Might as well take it off."

"Can I break it," he snorted. "Of course I can break it!" Jacob slipped a thumb gently under each side of the break and placed his other fingers along the outsides. Then, just as if he were messing with paper mache, he puled the crack further apart splitting the cast the rest of the way down as he did. With the extra room, I managed to slide my thumb and fingers out easily, and my arm followed soon after.

The first thing I did was scratch my forearm. It had been constantly itching since I had gotten the cast. Jacob chuckled softly next to me as my head tilted back in pure bliss. This had to be the best thing I had ever experienced to date.

"Can I have that," Paul called from his seat next to Leah.

"You want my cast," my brow quirked at his odd request.

"Well, it's like, the physical symbol of you becoming Feisty, so—yeah." He laughed. "I'll hang it up in my room, like a trophy!" Jacob took the opportunity to wing the cast at Paul, who had to duck, but caught it anyway.

Still giggling, I turned to go grab Jacob a plate for dinner. Most of the others were eating already, and I wanted to make sure he got his share. When I faced him again, with food in hand, he had that hungry look in his eyes. He usually only got that during our kissing sessions in my bed, or when we were in the middle of a game of Bella Ball.

"Like the shirt," his voice was low and husky.

I blushed and smiled as I offered him his plate. In the middle of everything that had happened from the cafe until now, I had totally forgotten that the back strap of my hot pink bra was visible.

"Thanks," I quietly replied, "It was my favorite back in Phoenix. Just found it today."

He still had that look in his eyes as he took the plate from me, and I felt my cheeks get hotter. I knew I loved the fact that I had such an effect on him, but now I was wondering if my choice of outfit for later would illicit this reaction, or the unease and fear I had been wanting.

It was beginning to dawn on me how precarious this plan that I had concocted was. Until it actually was happening, I would have no idea if Jacob would meet me head on, or if he would get mushy brained like I was hoping he would. My plan seemed like a great idea earlier, but now I was beginning to wonder if I had gotten in over my head.

_Too late to go back now_. I turned from him and went to go grab my own smaller portion. I would have to deal with the consequences when the time came. I gathered my plate, and a glass of water, and headed for an empty seat at the dining table. By now, most of the guys were finished eating, and were giving up their seats for those of us who hadn't yet. Seth was standing by Leah, trying to goad more information about the scene at the cafe out of her, but she just kept lightly smacking his shoulder and told him 'later'.

Kim had moved and taken up residence on Jarred's lap. They were both talking quietly and enjoying a private moment between the two of them. Though most would describe Kim as plain, she became truly beautiful when in Jarred's presence. He definitely brought out the best in her.

Quil, Embry and Paul were leaning against the wall on the other side of the dining table from me. All three of them engaged in a conversation of their own. Paul hadn't let go of my discarded cast once. I had thought he was joking about putting it up on his wall, but it was all too apparent he wasn't.

Jacob sat in the empty chair to my right and began to quietly eat his food. Instead of his usually horrible table manners he was eating like a civilized person, which I found particularly odd. Every now and then he would catch my eye, and the left corner of his mouth would turn up a bit. The first time it happened I nearly choked on my water, but managed to keep myself from dry drowning.

I got up to clean my dishes. I still had a bit of food left, but all of this tension had made me loose my appetite rather quickly. I walked back into the kitchen and did my best to stay out of Emily and Sam's way. They were standing somewhat near the sink, talking lowly. It seemed rather intimate though there was no touching—probably for Leah's sake. I couldn't help but hear part of their conversation:

"You want me to change the patrol rotation?" Sam's tone was overtly curious. I could understand why. Emily never asked him to change anything that was pack business.

"It's just really important that he does night watch at Bella's," came Emily's quiet reply.

"Is there something I need to be made aware of?" I swallowed and continued to scrub my plate, hoping my being here wasn't too obvious.

"She has a surprise for him," was Emily's simple answer.

I guess Sam relented because I heard the quiet clapping of hands that Emily usually did when she was very excited. I put my plate on the drying rack, and went to go see if Jacob's was empty. He watched me as I approached, and from the intensity of his look, I was sure that he had been staring at my back while I was eavesdropping.

"You done," I held out my hand for his empty plate. He handed it over but didn't let go. He was still eyeing me, and I was sure that if he hadn't still been holding onto the plate, I would have dropped it. Jacob's free hand made contact with the side of my knee and ran its way lightly up to my hip and back down.

"Not even close," I swallowed and gripped the plate tighter and backed up out of his range. Jacob's hands let go, but his eyes stayed locked on. His reaction was a lot more intense than what I had expected, and my doubts about tonight began to grow.

I knew he wouldn't pressure me into anything I wasn't ready for, I knew I would be in control of the situation in that respect. Everything else? I had no idea anymore.

I had envisioned pushing him down onto the bed and taking control. I would tease him, until he would promise to answer anything I wanted to know.

The likelihood of that was slipping away. I could tell from the way the air between us seemed to be charged. I turned and hurried back over to the sink to wash his plate. Maybe I should wait? No. That wouldn't do anything but let him think he was keeping his secret longer. I so desperately wanted there to be no secrets between us. Waiting wasn't an option. It would be tonight, and I had to get ready.

"Jake," I said lowly. He heard me, and got up to come to where I was. I met him half way and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Could you take me home, now?"

"Sure, sure," he smoothed my hair to my head. "Sam, I'll be back once she's inside."

"Stay, Jacob," Sam replied, "you and Jarred will switch days this week."

I peeked around Jake's torso and saw Kim smirking on Jarred's lap. Jarred himself was looking between her and me, slave to his curiosity. Leah's expression was just as damning, and that didn't escape the others. I didn't even want to look at Emily.

Sliding my arms from Jacob's waist, I took one of his hands and lead him out of the house. "Bye everyone, gotta go. School and all that."

Everyone bid their goodbyes while we walked out of the house to the Rabbit. I pulled his keys out of my pocket and handed them over. Jacob surprised me by walking me to my door and opening it for me. I smiled at him shyly and slid into the seat, folding my legs in after me.

We were quiet on the ride there, but the charge only seemed to intensify in the silence. I would catch him every now and then looking at me instead of the road, but the car never deviated from the lane. He had that predatory look about him, still, and I hoped that the shock of my outfit for him would throw him off enough to win myself the upper hand.

We pulled up to my house. Charlie was home and the downstairs lights were still on. I knew I would have to explain the missing cast, since I was supposed to have it taken off later this week. I wasn't sure how I was going to explain. I didn't have a lie thought up, so I might have to make due with the truth.

"I'm going to drive the Rabbit home, and then run back," he placed his large hand on my knee and gave it a small squeeze. "Shouldn't be too long."

"That's fine," I leaned my head against his outstretched arm, "I need to shower and stuff, anyway. I'll open the window once Charlie starts snoring."

"Don't wait too long," he murmured.

I kissed his bicep and leaned away. Jacob ran his hand up to my thigh before placing his hand deliberately back on the steering wheel. I walked up to the front door to find it already unlocked. I heard the Rabbit drive off as I opened the door and stepped inside.

There was really no way to hide a missing cast from Charlie, so I decided to get that issue out of the way as soon as possible. I found him in his usual position on the couch, watching whatever game was on. I moved behind the couch to the recliner next to it and sat. He never looked up.

"Dad," I folded my hands across my lap and leaned forward, "I have something I need to tell you."

"If the words 'I'm pregnant' come out of your mouth, I'm getting the shotgun," Charlie's eyes remained glued to the flat screen.

"Jesus...no, dad, I'm not pregnant," I shuddered at the thought, "I cracked my cast, today. I had Jacob take it off after I realized."

The couch groaned as Charlie slowly rose into a sitting position. He took a long swig of his beer, and crushed the can with his hand after he finished. His dark eyes slid to my now bare right arm and his mustache twitched as he frowned.

"And how exactly did you crack your cast?" Charlie was in full police mode, now, and my sudden inclination to lie was quickly squashed.

I quickly launched into the story, minus where we had gone shopping, and the topics of discussion in the Rabbit. I made sure to stress how Emily had been nervous about being in public from the beginning, and that I had promised her everything would be fine. I also was sure to tell him, that I had acted impulsively in the cafe. That I would never intentionally break someone else's possession, or harm them in any manner. I was trying to not go into detail, hoping that the bare minimum would get me by.

Charlie was about to interject, but I made sure to bring focus to how distraught Emily was, and how the jerk was trying to take pictures of her while she was crying. Any sympathy Charlie might have had for the two offenders vanished when I told him how the one had grabbed me and refused to let go. I watched as my father's face went red, and then a shade of purple before I reminded him to breathe.

"I only hit him because he wouldn't let me go," I said quietly to my lap.

"So it was all self defense?" Charlie shifted on the couch, waiting for my answer.

"Yeah. The phone thing was because of Emily, but the hit was because I was trying to leave and he wouldn't let me."

Charlie nodded, accepting my answer. I finished the story with what the other guy said, and how Leah had knocked the guy out. He seemed mildly surprised that Harry's daughter had it in her to act such a way, which just proved that he hadn't spent much, if any time around Leah in the past year.

"So, you're not going to go find the guy and make me apologize or something?" I frowned at the thought.

Charlie sat for a minute, thinking. I knew there was no way in hell I would get out a sincere apology to either of those guys, and though I had a good bit of cash, it was nowhere near enough to pay for an iPhone. I would have to get a job, and that would take time away from my responsibilities on the reservation. Most importantly, it would keep me from Jacob.

"No," he said finally, "you have the sense to know that breaking the jerk's phone was not okay. If that was it, I would have tried to find him so that you could make amends. Hearing that he touched you in such a manner, however, makes me want to find him for reasons of my own. So, in the best interest of his health and safety, I say we leave the situation here."

My shoulders slumped in relief. This was the best outcome I could have hoped for, and Charlie didn't disappoint. "Thanks dad," I whispered and stood. "I'm going to take a shower and get to bed."

He grunted in acknowledgment and laid back down to finish up his game.

I headed up the stairs into the small bathroom and turned on the water so that it would warm up. I was beginning to get butterflies in my stomach. After my shower it would only be an hour or so until I could open my window and let Jacob in.

I stripped off my clothing and stepped under the warm spray. Though it had been warm for Forks, the hot water was still welcoming. I squirted some body wash onto a loofah and began to scrub my body. I was trying a new scent, Japanese cherry blossom. I loved how it smelled, but I couldn't help but wonder if Jacob would like it as well.

I began to run through what I should do to finish preparing for tonight's encounter. I wanted to make myself look as perfect as possible. My hands ran over my body as I washed off the soap. My hands delved below my bellybutton and I felt the curly patch of hair on my pubic mound.

I thought of my new satin shorts and how the lace cut outs would call attention to the hair I had down there. I didn't think Jacob would have a problem with it, he would probably just be thrilled at the fact that he would be seeing it, but as I visualized how it looked I found myself reaching for my razor.

I trimmed there, but I had never shaved down there before, and I was kind of nervous. I decided to treat it as if I were shaving my legs, and made sure to grab shaving cream from the edge of the tub, and got to work.

It took a bit longer than I was thinking it would, but when I got near the important bits, I made sure to be extra careful. The last thing I wanted was to have a cut in that sensitive area. Since I was already shaving, I made a pass over my legs to get rid of the stubble that had popped up since the night before. The same went for my armpits.

I had no idea how long I was in there, and I hadn't even gotten to my hair yet. I shampooed quickly and washed my conditioner out almost as soon as I had gotten it worked into my hair.

Stepping out onto the bath mat I heard silence from downstairs. Charlie was probably waiting in his room for me to vacate the bathroom. I wrapped a towel around my body and one around my head before heading to my room.

"Night, dad!" I called out as I closed my bedroom door. I walked to the window and drew the curtains closed just in case. I knew that for anyone to see in they would have to be far back into the woods, but I wouldn't put it past Jacob to sneak a peek.

I smiled at the thought. It was nice to have a boyfriend who didn't feel the need to hide his feelings, whether they were gentlemanly or not. Though there was the rare occasion where I did become nostalgic over memories of Edward, I could safely say that being with Jacob felt right.

The closet door creaked slightly as I opened it. There, in the back, on top of all the boxes of my Arizona clothing was the bag that Leah had stashed there earlier in the day. I grabbed it and pulled out the lacy top and satin shorts. I shivered as I pulled my towel off of my body, and made one final pass to make sure no droplets of water lingered.

My memory had served me correct. There was a cut out right where my folds would start. I was thankful that I had shaved. I wasn't planning on wearing underwear. My try on in the store proved that even my thin lacy boy shorts left panty lines, and I didn't own any thongs.

I pulled on the shorts, and walked to the mirror I had on my wall. I had chosen the appropriate size. I turned to look at the back, and was reminded of Leah in the shorts I had let her borrow. A wide grin split my face. For once I didn't feel plain.

I spent some time towel drying my hair. I only stopped when no more water dripped onto my floor, or onto my skin. The clock on my desk read 11:55. I didn't have time to brush my hair before I had to open my window. Charlie had used the bathroom and gone into his room while I had been drying my hair. The soft snores had already started.

Quickly, I pulled on the lacy top, and headed back to the mirror to make sure it sat right. I was still a little displeased with the size of my bust, but there was nothing I could do about that. I settled for reaching my hand in my shirt and using the tension of the cotton to keep them lifted a bit. It gave me a fair bit of cleavage for my size, and I felt somewhat pleased.

I heard the sound of a rock hitting my window. Jake was asking to come in. I quietly moved to my closet and grabbed my bathrobe and put it on while I padded back to the window. I was just pulling the robe shut, and cinching it when another pebble hit. I rolled my eyes at his impatience, but opened the curtains, and gently slid the window open before backing away.

Suddenly, all my nerves hit me at once. I spun to face away from the window, my breathing was heavy. Doubt in my plan hit me, as well as doubt in my appearance. Would he think I looked slutty? Desperate? I cringed inwardly at the thought.

"Bells?" I heard his voice softly from behind me. His hands slid from my shoulders down my arms to my hands which were quickly covered by his own. I turned my head to the side and gave him a sidelong glance.

_It's now or never_.


	6. Foxes Hunt the Hounds

Foxes Hunt the Hounds

I was on complete auto pilot as I drove back to LaPush to drop the Rabbit off. I was thinking over the events of the evening, and was beginning to notice things that I hadn't picked up on before. Like those looks that the women had exchanged before Bella and I had left. Even quiet Kim had a fucking smirk on her face! Then there was the fact that I had suddenly been slated to stay at Bella's for the night, even though my night wasn't until later in the week. I had seen Emily talking to Sam, but hadn't bothered to try and listen in because I figured it was private couple shit. Still, I now had this nagging suspicion that somehow she was instrumental in getting the shifts changed.

Then there was Leah. I don't know what kind of magic worker Bella is, but the progress she made with Leah's shit attitude in two days was astounding. I never would have thought that Leah would have stepped foot into Sam and Emily's house, but she sat and ate at the table like it was natural for her. Sure she still didn't acknowledge Emily's presence, but even still it was a great step in a direction that would benefit her and the pack.

I picked apart the glances, the pointed looks, and how the women seemed to move fluidly around each other, as if they had spent the afternoon rehearsing a dance. It was very similar to how the pack wove between each other and the trees while hunting. Effortless and graceful. It was like the women had formed their own pack in the short time they had alone, and Bella, my woman, seemed to be the Alpha.

I felt a swell of pride in that moment. Bella had come so far in the past few months. No longer did she ache to stay in the background. Now she was all about doing her part, and putting the pack, and her friends first. Though I wasn't ecstatic about her going toe-to-toe with some jackass in Port Angles, the fact that she was sticking up for another member of the pack further cemented her place among the ranks.

Leah was the common link between the wolf pack and the women pack. I suddenly felt impatient with the speed of the Rabbit, though I was nearly home. If I didn't love the fucking car so much, I would ditch it and phase immediately. I needed to know what was going on with the women. My curiosity was killing me, and I had no idea why it was so important for me to be at Bella's tonight.

I swallowed audibly as I allowed my mind to run through possible scenarios. All of them were things I had fantasized about before, but now I could almost feel her touch. It sent a shiver though me, and I was worried I was going to pop a boner just from the idea alone.

I parked the Rabbit and hid the keys between the roof and the visor, not wanting to spend the time to walk to the house and drop them off inside. I sprang out of the car, and headed immediately for the woods, unfastening the button of my shorts as I went. Once within the safety of the trees, I kicked off my shoes and slid my shorts down. The shorts folded up into a small rectangle that I tied around my left ankle.

I exploded out of my skin into the red brown wolf that had become second nature to me. Immediately my mind began to fill with color commentary from the others, most of the guys had been wondering the same thing I was, and then there was Leah who simply snickered at the incessant questions and comments from the rest of us.

Jake! Holy shit, man. Kim got these...these...fuck I don't know what they're called, but they're awesome! Jarred visualized a lacy black and red one piece crotchless number.

My eyes widened as I sped off full tilt toward the clearing where we usually met before patrols. If that's what painfully shy Kim had gotten, then what the hell did Bella end up with? That's uhhh...great, Jar, but not really something I needed to see.

I need to see, though, Quil piped in, research purposes.

Shut up, Quil, Jarred snarled and the image vanished from my mind. I could hear Leah snickering the entire time in the background.

Quit being like that and just spill, already, Jarred whined. What do they talk about? Do they talk about us? Do they compare? Whats the big secret?

Emily's not the type to compare, and I doubt Kim and Bella are, either, Sam seemed amused and annoyed all in one shot.

Holy shit, Emily talked to you didn't she? Embry's excitement spread quickly to the rest of us. Surely Sam would fill us in on the secrets of the sewing circle.

A bit, Sam relented, but I've been sworn to secrecy. A groan rippled through the rest of the males in the pack. Its not my place to say anything, anyway. Just learn some patience.

Pfft, Paul growled, patience? Not going to happen when there's crotchless panties involved.

Not like you have any stake in this, Lahote,Jarred snarled.

I'm going to see just as much as any of you, Paul shot back. Not like any of you are able to hide your thoughts.

I came up to the clearing with the others just as Leah barked in laughter. The rest of the pack, excluding Sam were circling her like sharks. She just sat on her haunches in the middle of the clearing with her head held high, feeling superior in her hidden knowledge.

Seriously, Leah, I walked right up to her and sat a couple of feet away. Where does your allegiance lie, anyway?

You're going to pull that with me, Black, Leah snorted. Why should I tell you guys anything? I'm not even treated like a full member of the pack. I may be one of you, but I'm not accepted. The girls accept me how I am, and don't expect a miraculous turn around.

You want acceptance? Paul stopped his circling and tilted his head at her back. You're a raving bitch all of the time.

You're a total asshole all of the time, too, Paul, and no one gives you any shit for it, Leah spat.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, she was right. Paul was just as insufferable as Leah was, but we just accepted it as Paul being Paul. It would have been fair to give Leah the same leeway, but none of us did.

Touche', Quil sighed. I guess we haven't been fair.

No, you haven't. She looked down at her paws and huffed. So I'm not going to tell you anything, Jake...except that you better get going and get your surprise over with.

Surprise? My tail wagged of its own accord. Bella has a surprise for me?

Are you deaf? Yes, she has a surprise for you. Leah chortled and swiped at me with one of her paws. That's all she's been going on about since yesterday.

What is it? The crotchless garment was floating through my mind again, but instead of Kim wearing it, I pictured Bella. A groan of protest from the rest of the pack quickly put the thought out of my mind.

Do you know the meaning of the word 'surprise'? Jesus fucking Christ, Jacob, just go find out for yourself. I'm not saying a fucking word. Leah turned her head as if to say the conversation was over.

I took off at full speed through the forest towards Forks. Not even a legion of bloodsuckers could keep me from being in Bella's room tonight. I whipped through the trees trying to keep my mind from wandering to what could be in store for me when the clock struck midnight.

That in itself was a full time occupation. Bella naked. Bella on top of me naked. Bella under me naked. Bella on her knees naked. Bella on all fours naked. I whined as I ran. I was sure I wasn't going to make it until midnight. I hoped that Charlie would be passing out early so that I could get through that window sooner. Unfortunately I didn't think that would be the case, the man ran like clockwork. He never deviated from his routine.

I skidded to a halt outside of Bella's window. The curtains were open, and the lights were on, but I saw no shadows showing any movement inside. I could hear the shower running, but there was no way to tell if it was her or Charlie in there. Bella in the shower. I began to salivate.

I paced outside of the house, still phased. I didn't trust myself to phase back. I didn't want to walk in there with a hard on and freak her out. I needed to be calm, and collected. I had to play it cool, and be in control of myself and the situation. In my tribe's eyes I was a man, and I needed to act like it instead of some panting teenage boy.

After what seemed like an hour, the shower was still running. It had to be Bella in there. No man ever takes that long in the shower. I loped off into the woods and phased back so I could go around the front and check the clock in the living room. If it wasn't close to midnight I don't know how I would keep myself from climbing up there early.

I pulled on my cut offs and jogged to the front of the house. I had ten minutes until the window would open and I would get my surprise. I walked back to the side yard and looked up, hoping to see her looking down at me, but to my chagrin, the curtains were closed.

I frowned. Maybe this was just one of Leah's fucked up jokes? I was almost tempted to phase back and check with her, but desperation was not a good look for anyone, and I was already nearing that point. I was going to have enough issues phasing back tomorrow being disappointed if nothing had happened, I didn't need to make it worse by broadcasting that I was needy as fuck.

As if on cue, Charlie began to snore. It was faint, but still audible with my sensitive hearing. Usually we waited until his snores sounded like bears fighting with chainsaws, but I was far too impatient for that tonight.

There were a couple of smallish rocks on the ground at my feet. I picked them up and tossed the first one hitting the window in the center of the pane. I heard a small gasp from inside the room and smiled. I knew she was expecting me, but it never ceased to amaze me how she seemed caught off guard by my presence outside her window.

I waited another minute and threw another pebble. Usually Bella was rather prompt about letting me, in, but she must have been putting together my surprise at the last minute. If that was the reason, I didn't mind at all.

Bella's shadow loomed behind the curtain for a moment before it was pulled back to reveal her slender frame. Her hair was wet and she hadn't brushed it. It laid long and flat over her shoulders with small knots and loops through it. It looked almost wild, and I couldn't help but to lick my lips at the sight. She was wearing a fuzzy bathrobe that hid her figure, and I was hoping that there was nothing on under that robe.

She slid the window open and stepped back out of my view. That was all the invitation that I needed. I hastily bounded my way between the house and the tree branches to the open window above. I made no sound as I slipped through the narrow opening feet first. I rolled forward onto the balls of my feet to keep my balance and righted myself. I turned and slid the window shut, hoping that the cold wouldn't keep her wrapped up for the remainder of the night.

Bella was standing near the foot of her bed with her back turned to me. Her shoulders rose and fell slowly as she took deep shuddering breaths. Tiny beads of water still clung to her bare ankles, which still looked shiny in the poor lighting of the room. The smell coming off of her was intoxicating. Through the haze of whatever shampoo she used was a smell of sweet cherries.

I inhaled deeply as I walked up to her back, she had never turned to face me, and I was guessing nerves were hitting her as bad as they were hitting me. I allowed myself a small smile at the thought of Bella going through all the trouble and effort to plan a surprise for me, and then hoping to back out at the last minute. As if I wouldn't be pleased with whatever it ended up being.

"Bells?" I brought my hands up to her shoulders, planning on turning her to face me. Her response was to stiffen, so I slowly brushed my hands down her arms over the fuzzy material of her robe until my hands rested over hers, her body relaxing more and more the further down I got.

Bella turned and peered at me out of the corner of her eye through her tangled wet hair. Her gaze began as uncertain, but she must have seen something in my own expression that steeled her resolve. Her eyes changed from the uncertainty of a teenage girl, to the knowing stare of a seasoned woman.

I couldn't help but to swallow loudly under the weight of her stare down. It was like she was issuing a challenge, that she knew I couldn't partake in. This is the Bella that only surfaced once in a while. This Bella knew exactly how to make me squirm and bent me easily to her will. I would be nothing more than putty in her capable hands and I couldn't bring myself to want anything different.

Her cold damp hair pressed against my chest as she leaned her head back. The serpent's gaze was broken, but I was already thrown off enough that I felt I would have to leave the room completely to gather myself. Her hands worked their way out of mine and slid up the backs of my arms at an achingly slow pace. Her hands were cool against my skin and despite my want to trap those delicate hands and kiss them, I stayed still.

Bella's hands made their home hooked over the back of my shoulders, forcing my arms forward so that I wouldn't pin her arms too tightly. For such an awkward position she managed to make it seem erotic.

"Could you untie my robe, please?" I blinked. Seriously? She smiled sweetly up at me, waiting for me to do as she bid. I had imagined this scenario completely different. I was not in control like I had hoped, she had that firmly in her arena, and unless I wanted to turn into a total caveman and risk scaring her off there was no way I was going to be in control of the situation any time soon.

I nodded, moving my hands to the tie at her slender waist. My appendages betrayed me by shaking as I tried to quickly undo the double knot. The anticipation was killing me, and there was no way I could go any slower with the knot. It was all that stood between me and my possibly naked girlfriend. I fumbled with it in my haste and made no progress for more seconds than I cared to admit.

Fucking knot, I fought to keep my face passive and finally managed to undo the second knot. The first followed soon after, but the robe stayed closed. The fuzzy fabric clung to itself keeping Bella's body out of sight. I growled and briefly lost whatever cool I had. My left hand slipped between the two pieces of fabric to wrap around the part of the robe closest to her body, and my right took the top part.

I pulled back the two sides of the robe in one fluid motion expecting to see creamy white skin, and soft pink nipples, but instead I was greeted by black lace and shiny red short shorts. I was glad that the lower part of her body was arched away from me so that she wouldn't feel the instantaneous hard on that the sight of her produced.

Her breath hitched as soon as the cold air hit her skin, and I had the pleasure of watching her nipples harden beneath the sheer black cotton that covered her breasts. I stifled a groan and let go of my death grip on her bathrobe so I could run my hands over the familiar terrain of her abdomen. The lace was rough compared to her silky skin, and though it wasn't the texture I had been wanting to feel, seeing bits of her skin through the material turned me on more than I had expected.

Bella's hands left my shoulders and dropped to her side. She turned in my arms so that she was facing me. She looked up at me, with the same sweet smile on her face as before.

"Do you like?" I dropped my gaze from her face to be met with a view of cleavage I never thought possible. I nodded and ripped my eyes from her chest and back to her face. Bella's smile widened, obviously pleased at my reaction. Her nipples moved up my torso as she rose to her tiptoes, meeting me halfway for a kiss.

If I hadn't noticed before, I was well aware now: Bella was in total control. Her lips moved sensuously against my tentative ones. Her tongue brushed against my lower lip, and I could do nothing but allow it into my mouth. She caressed my tongue with her own, and I groaned, imagining it was a different organ that she was paying attention to. I felt her smile into the kiss before she pulled away.

We usually built up to those kind of kisses in our make out sessions. Starting out with something like that gave me hope for what was going to come next.

I felt pressure in the center of my chest. I opened my eyes and looked to find her hand spread between my pectorals. I quirked a brow and looked back at her, and she pushed gently, so I took a small step back. She pushed again. Another step. She put more pressure on the right side of her hand so I swiveled as I took another step backwards allowing her to guide me to where she wanted me to be.

After another couple of steps, I felt the foot of the bed against the back of my legs. Bella pushed harder this time, and I heeded her request allowing myself to be pushed back onto the soft mattress.

I laced my fingers behind my head and took in the sight that was the beautiful creature standing before me. Her shirt left just enough to the imagination, which I liked in some perverse fashion. The lace fit snugly on her body, and even though the cotton around her bust had a little give, her smallish breasts strained against the fabric.

My vision traveled further down to her shiny pink shorts. They were even tinier than the ones that Leah had on earlier in the day, and even those should have been illegal. The clincher was the little half moon holes scattered around the material of the shorts. They were covered with the same lace that comprised most of the shirt, so I could still see bare skin beneath. The way the lace was dotted about reminded me of watermelon seeds, and suddenly my mouth went dry.

Leah, I grinned though I knew I should be upset with my sister wolf spilling my thoughts to my girlfriend. That was the only option that made sense to me. I knew I thought enough about that first morning with the original pair of watermelon shorts. It was a definite hang up of mine, and I knew it wasn't exactly normal, but that image was all but burned into my brain. Now, I was faced with a sexier upgrade, and I had completely forgot how to move.

So I just stared unblinkingly at the shorts in question. Most of the lace panels were innocently placed, but the one at the apex of her mound made my heart stop. Bella is bare. Bella shaves. Oh fuck, I can almost see… I had lost all ability to string together a rational thought. The sight of the joining of her two lips made my cock twitch, and I wanted nothing more than to free myself from my denim prison.

Bella's hands appeared on either side of my thighs, soon followed by one of her knees. She had effectively blocked my sight to that one particular area, and I now had the ability to look where I wanted.

Slowly, she crawled up my body keeping her hands and legs from touching me until she lowered herself and sat on my stomach, just above the waistband of my shorts. My head dropped back to the bed and I grumbled in disappointment.

It was then, with her legs spread, and the captivating lace panel just within eye sight that I smelled her. My eyes closed of their own accord, and I inhaled the sweet scent deeply.

"Now," she purred, placed a hand on my chest and used one of her nails to trace patterns over my skin. "Now, we talk."

What? The last thing on my mind was a conversation. I didn't even think I was capable of speech, let alone a full blown heart-to-heart. I shook my head slowly and moved my hands to her hips.

"Before we play, we need to get something out in the open," her chastising tone had an edge of playfulness, but what she had said, I knew, was serious.

I sighed heavily and opened an eye, "about what?"

"What you've been keeping from me," she continued to draw patterns on my chest. They weren't shapes, and they didn't seem arbitrary. I closed my eye again and concentrated on what she was writing on my chest. 'I', 'M', 'P', 'R', 'I', 'N'-fuck.

"How long have you known," my jaw clenched as I tried to keep control of my temper. I wasn't mad at Bella, I was mad that I had allowed myself to be a chicken shit for so long and not tell her after I had promised not to keep secrets from her.

I had my reasons, and to me they were sound. I didn't want her to feel obligated to do anything she didn't want to do. Since that first day I had seen her after I became a wolf, I knew I wanted to be with her forever, but I didn't want to bust out something as big as imprinting to make her feel like she was trapped. I wanted our relationship to be based on her choice, not some ancient magic.

The current state of things didn't make me feel any better about it. Before she dropped the bomb that she knew about imprinting, I was all for going as far as she wanted, but now all I could think about was if she thought this was how things were supposed to be or if this was actually what she wanted.

"Since I went to talk to Leah on Saturday," she spoke softly.

"Son of a bitch," I squeezed my eyes shut as hard as I could to avoid digging my fingers into her hips.

"She didn't mean to tell me, Jake. She was talking about Emily and Sam and it slipped. I made her explain, she didn't want to. She knew you'd be mad," Bella ran her fingers from my collar bone to the top of my abs. I shivered unintentionally. "She also told me why you didn't say anything to me."

"Can you blame me," I peeked up at her and briefly removed a hand from her hip to gesture at the two of us. "I knew this would happen. I don't want you to feel like you have to do anything."

"That's not what this," she mirrored my gesture, "is. I know how stubborn you can be, so I figured if I was going to get you to be honest I would have to make your brain all mushy." Bella looked completely proud of herself. I rolled my eyes in my head.

"Sex as a weapon? Low blow, Bells," I huffed.

"If that's what you want, fine," the nonchalance in her voice made me choke on my own spit. "But only if you tell me the whole truth."

Fucking. Shit.

"You really want the whole truth," I my look was skeptical, but she just beamed back down and me and nodded vigorously. "Well what do you already know?"

Bella launched into the explanation of the strands of fate connecting everything and that when I had been lunging at Paul, the one between her and I turned into a cable. She went on to say that I would be there for her in any capacity she needed, and that I would fight to the death for her. She finished off by saying that eventually when we were older, she would be expected to produce little wolves to further the bloodline.

I nodded at her summation, but she had left out one very important part, that I'm sure Leah had avoided at all costs for no other reason than it would have been a cause of too much pain.

"There's one thing Leah didn't tell you," I squeezed her hips in what I hoped was a reassuring manner.

"What's that? I'm not going to have a litter, am I?" She shuddered, and I chuckled quietly.

"No, no. Its more of a tribal thing, than an imprint thing," I needed to figure out the least scary way to word this—fast.

"Am I a part of the tribe, now?" Her head tilted to the side as she watched me.

Just like ripping off a band-aid, I took a deep breath, lifting her a bit as I did and spoke as I exhaled:

"You now have Quileute rights by marriage," my face scrunched as I waited for the slap I was expecting would soon be to follow.

It never came.

I peeked and saw her staring at the wall behind me, and I became worried that I had broken her. I shook her hips gently and her upper torso just waved about a bit, but she never looked away from the wall.

"Bella?" Shake. "Bells?" Another shake. "Come on, Bella!" A third shake.

Nothing.

I tried waving my hand in front of her face, and got no response. Though I understood that I just hit her with a major bit of information, I was worried that she had gone completely catatonic. I didn't want to slap her, because for one, I couldn't bring myself to hit a woman, and two I was convinced that only worked in the movies.

Out of curiosity I reached up and gently squeezed one of her nipples through her shirt. Bella didn't stir from her visual stranglehold she had on the wall. I cupped her left breast with my hand and rolled her nipple between my thumb and pointer finger, but other than a twitch in her right hand, no response.

It was enough for me, though. At the very least she was reacting to certain outside stimuli, and I could use that to bring her back from wherever she was. Probably in a place where she hasn't been seen as a married woman for three months. I sighed.

My left hand was still on her hip, and as I thought my thumb began to trace light circles across the soft and shiny fabric. I glanced down and marveled slightly at how small she actually was. If my other hand had been in the same position on her other hip, my thumbs would have touched in the middle. Not only that, but I came to find my thumb was only an inch or so away from the extremely distracting lace panel.

Of its own accord, my thumb delved lower, and brushed against the lace that covered her mound. Bella's entire body shivered at the contact, and her hips shifted a bit forward, trapping my thumb between my stomach and her core.

I blinked at the warmness that hit my thumb. I wasn't used to things feeling hotter than I did, so this sensation was foreign to me.

I pressed against her with my thumb and moved it back and forth a few times. It only took a few rocks to find what I was searching for. The nub of flesh that had previously been hiding between her folds was now slowly being circled by my thumb.

Bella's body continued to shudder as I lazily rubbed her, and eventually she began to rock onto my thumb.

"Bells?" I called out, my voice husky. I finally saw her eyes flutter closed as her head tipped back. Her moan was low, and full of need. Her previously immobile hands twitched on my chest, trying to find purchase.

"J-Jake," her head tipped forward, throwing her hair into her face as she rocked herself down hard onto my thumb. She was panting shakily, her nails scraped my chest. Watching her so uninhibited was something I thought I would never get over.

"Need," she panted, "I need you. Now." Her voice was a pained moan. My eyes widened at her statement. I was totally unprepared to have sex. There was no way I was riding bare back, though I knew she was on birth control, I didn't want to chance anything.

But here I was, manually stimulating my girlfriend, hard as a rock, with her scent making it hard to think clearly, and I still had enough sense to deny her. If I got her pregnant in high school, Charlie wouldn't have to kill me, I'd probably off myself.

"Can't, Bells," I reached up with my free hand and cupped her cheek.

"Why?" She whined.

"Didn't come prepared," I brushed her lips with my thumb, and she took a quick nip at it. I growled low in my throat as my cock jumped.

"Need to...feel you," she panted loudly. "Please," her last request turned into a stifled squeal as I removed my hand from under her and lifted her so that she was no longer straddling me. She huffed quietly and made a move to get back on, but I easily blocked her with one arm as I used the other to unbutton my shorts.

"Shorts. Off." I ground out. I wasn't angry at her, but upset with myself because I didn't have the fortitude to tell her that this was probably a horrible idea. If I were to be completely honest with myself I was being completely selfish. I had dealt with blue balls before, and it just meant that I would head deep into the woods, or phase and run home to take care of it as soon as possible. That was fine, it was a small price to pay for the amazing make out sessions we had every time I stayed over.

This, however, was so different, there was no way I would be able to hold out until morning, and there was definitely no way I could leave to take care of myself. Even worse I would be leaving her wanting—that was a no-go if I ever heard one.

Bella had stood to strip herself out of her shorts, and I was sliding my own down my legs with a speed I didn't think even werewolves possessed. Both pairs fell unceremoniously to the floor in unison.

"Holy shit," Bella's hoarse whisper broke the silence. I followed my gaze and was met with the sight of my dick standing proudly, only moving to twitch every so often. "There is no fucking way that'll fit in..." She looked down at her flat stomach and then back to me.

"Not tonight," I assured her and the relief on her face would have been adorable if I weren't about to come if a slight breeze hit my dick. I held out a hand to help her back on the bed, which she took gently. I took my cock in my hand, and held it to my stomach, as if I were a thirteen year old trying to hide their erection in the waist band of their jeans.

Bella's legs were shaking as she straddled me once more, her bare pussy hovering over my length just barely not touching. I could just see, due to the bedside lamp, the moisture on her lips, and a new wave of anticipation hit me.

"It's okay," I assured her once more. "Just feel me," she nodded and relaxed her legs, pressing her core against my shaft. The feeling was completely indescribable. The closest I could focus on was the warmth, and the slickness as she tentatively began to grind herself along my dick.

Her rocking turned from hesitant to bold quickly, and it didn't take long for me to realize that what she was getting off on was not only the friction, but the pressure my head put on her clit whenever she rocked back. She began to whimper and moan quietly, as I'm sure Charlie in the next room was not completely forgotten to her either. I matched her sound for sound with my own grunts and groans.

She felt so slick against me, and looked so erotic rocking on top of me, that I became suddenly aware of the fact that I had nothing in my hands. Being careful not to disturb her, or the rhythm, I hoisted myself up on my right arm and pressed my face into her chest to inhale the sweet cherry scent. Her hands wound their way around my head and pressed my face closer to her mounds, and I couldn't help but to take one of her pebbled nipples into my mouth at that instant.

There was something about the way she inhaled sharply that set me off. I leaned forward, negating the need for my arm to balance me, and instead used that arm to cup Bella's ass and keep her pressed as closely to me as possible. She now had no traction to move herself, so it was now my job to set the pace for the both of us.

I continued to suckle her though the thin cotton, and she mewled quietly into my ear. I grazed her with my teeth and dropped my other arm to help support her weight, it wasn't necessary, but she was doing a good enough time keeping our upper bodies connected that I didn't need to bother.

"Faster," she moaned into my ear, and I obliged by picking up the pace, sliding her up and down the length of my shaft. Her breathing grew ragged, and I could feel her muscles clenching as I moved her, and I was glad that she was nearly sated. I didn't know how much longer I could hold out, myself, and I wanted to make sure she was happy before I came.

She told me to go faster again, and I groaned in frustration. "Dammit, woman," I spoke into the valley between her breasts as we moved and I did my best once again to heed her demands.

Bella came quickly after that. Her nails scraped my scalp so hard I was sure she was drawing blood. Her face buried itself in my shoulder, trying to quiet her cries against my body. I was glad for that, there was no way either of us could get descent in time before Charlie would arrive if he woke up, and even then we would have to explain my being in her room in the middle of the night.

Her muffled cries continued as I kept up the pace, speeding toward my own release. She almost sounded like she was sobbing, and I was briefly conflicted about whether I should put her down and finish by hand or keep going. She was trembling now, and starting to lose her hold on me, and I could tell she was exhausted, so I opted for the former.

I scooted us off to one side before I turned my torso and laid her gently on the other side of the bed. She didn't even move to adjust herself, and just collapsed where I put her. I turned away and finished myself off quickly—I had almost been ready to blow before I put her down, but my need to make sure she was okay had won out.

Grabbing a Kleenex from the nightstand, I cleaned up my mess quickly before tossing the tissue into the trash can next to the desk. The bed groaned as I reached down to pick up my shorts from the floor by the foot of the bed and slid them back on.

A groan from my right brought my attention back to Bella. She was lying in the same position I had left her in, eyes closed, with a goofy smile on her face. Every now and then, her body would twitch and she would hum in contentment. This, I thought, is the most adorable thing I have ever seen.

Her eyes finally opened, and they were shiny and glazed over. Through the haze, she focused on me, and patted the bed next to her for me to lie down. I maneuvered myself so that I was on my side facing her, and smiled softly as I brushed her hair from her face.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," I chuckled.

"If you bring me back like that, you can hide marriage from me, anytime," she grinned and brought a hand up to my face. She traced along my jaw with her small fingers and I nearly purred at the light touch.

"You're not mad?" I moved so that our foreheads were touching. Worry washed over me that she was going to change her tune once the good feelings from her orgasm wore off. I had to touch her all I could, just in case she decided to send me away. She hummed in indecision, and I tensed.

"Not mad," Bella finally spoke. "More shocked than anything. I mean, if anything I'm a little pissy that I had absolutely no say in it, whatsoever, but other than that, no...not mad."

"Its not like we have to go public," I assured her, "we don't have to tell anyone, or make it into a thing. Its more for the protection of the wolf and his mate."

"How so," she shifted so that we were looking at each other, and though I preferred the connection we had before, I understood her need to read my face.

"If anything were to happen to one of the imprint's wolfs, it ensures that the tribe will take care of the imprint after she is widowed. You would be able to obtain housing, and a job if necessary." I shrugged my free shoulder. I was under no illusion that what I did for a "living" wasn't dangerous, and I knew that Bella was aware of the risks. Not everyone in LaPush knew what we did, but the council knew, and this was their way of making sure we had one less thing to worry about.

"So...if you died, I would be able to live in LaPush and stay with the pack?" Her brows furrowed.

"Yup," I gave her a halfhearted smile, knowing this conversation was hard for her for so many reasons. "Though it might be a bit more difficult for you since you aren't Native. It'd be more obvious to the rest of the tribe if a pale face is suddenly allowed housing and work for no discernible reason."

"Understandable," she sighed deeply. "So what do we do to deal with that? You know, if..." she swallowed and didn't finish her sentence.

"There's one option," I offered. "We could have a tribal ceremony. It's not legal in terms of the law, outside of the reservation, but the rest of the tribe that's still in the dark would have something to reference to if they start asking why you're getting permissions."

"What would that entail?" She reached for one of the blankets at the foot of the bed to cover herself, and pulled it up to her middle.

"Well my dad is the tribe chief. He would basically perform something similar to a traditional marriage ceremony, but it would only be valid in the eyes of the tribe." I watched her as she nodded slowly, and then smiled.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Lets do it," she grinned widely. "I don't see any reason to wait. I wouldn't be moving onto the rez anytime soon, but it'd be good to have things in place for when that's an option."

"Are you sure? I mean, I'm chained to the rez for the rest of my life, but you don't have to be. You can go to college, you have options," I frowned at the thought of her feeling like she had to stay locked to LaPush because of the imprint. She wasn't Emily or Kim, she should go and have normal experiences for someone that was just about to graduate. I loved every day with her, and wouldn't change that for anything, but I didn't want to be the reason that she would use to pass up on a semi-normal life.

"I love my life here, Jake," she put her hand on my chest over my heart. "You are a big part of that, but you're not all of it. I want to stay because of you, yes, but for the rest of the pack as well. Emily, Kim, Leah, Charlie...everyone. I can do classes and stuff online, so I wouldn't be missing out on going to college apart from the drinking and parties...and you know that's not something I'm into anyway." She patted me and propped herself up on an elbow. Bella stared down at me for a long moment. "Its been a long time since I've entertained the idea of having a normal life. I just don't think it's an option for me, and now that I think about it, it probably never was.

"There was a while where all I wanted was to live forever...but I don't want that anymore. I want to grow old, and have a family. I want to have parties with the others and their kids. I want to eventually have a wedding with the white dress, and the fucking flowers, and all that other sappy shit—and I want to do it all with you. I want this because, like it or not, I love you, and I'm not going anywhere."

The words I had been waiting to hear for months finally rang in my ears. I hadn't wanted to say it first, because I didn't want her to feel pushed to say it back, so I held off. I caught myself almost slipping a few times, but I managed to keep it in, telling myself that when she was ready she would say it.

Yeah, there was swearing. Yeah, there was mention of a wedding I probably couldn't afford to give her...but she wanted a family with me, and she was in it for the long haul. Best of all—she finally said she loved me.

"Come here, woman," I growled, pulled her down and kissed her deeply. She 'eeped' as my lips met hers. I didn't care about being gentle, or sensual. I was all need, and desire and possession at this moment, and she would damn well know it. "I love you, too," I spoke as soon as I let her pull back.

Bella's cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink, and her gaze dropped to the mattress between us. Still, she smiled.

I looked past her at the clock on the wall and frowned. It was two in the morning, and she had school the next day. I pulled her blanket off her, and she looked up at me like I was insane. I just shook my head.

"Go put some comfortable pajamas on, you need to get some sleep," I nudged her playfully and rolled onto my back to stare at the ceiling. This was as much privacy as I could offer being stuck in the room until the morning.

I felt her get up and heard the creak of the closet door as she went on a search for something to wear. I was running through the usual suspects of what she was likely to put on when the lacy top she had been wearing landed on my face. I grinned against the lace and shook my head before I tossed it back in her direction without looking. I didn't dare to sneak a peek of her topless, or she wouldn't be getting to sleep anytime soon.

A paper bag rustled, and I heard the sound of a plastic tie snapping. She was probably putting on something new that she had bought and I was curious to see if it was more or less revealing than the one I had just experienced.

"It's safe, Jake," she whispered, exasperated. Looking up, it wasn't bad at all. It looked like a men's long sleeve dress shirt, but it was obviously cut for a woman's figure and made out of a softer material. It was sexy in a completely different way than the earlier outfit. I smiled and pulled back the covers on her side of the bed before I moved up so my head was on the pillows.

Bella snuggled herself under the covers and rolled so that she was curved against my body. I wrapped an arm around her, and reached with my other hand to turn off the lamp. She sighed in the darkness and buried her face into the side of my chest.

"Night, Bells. Love you," I grinned into the darkness. I felt so free being able to tell her how I felt.

"Love you, too, Jake. Night." Her words were already muddled with sleep. It always amazed me how quickly she fell asleep after her head hit the pillow.

I wasn't faring much better. The activity of the night had left me drained in multiple ways, and I felt myself drifting off much quicker than I usually did when I was in Bella's bed.

I awoke the next morning just as the sun was illuminating the trees outside the window of Bella's bedroom. I was a little bit irked that I hadn't slept until the alarm, but the tiny body wrapped around me quickly made me forget about being mad.

I looked down to my right to see a snarled mass of hair laying in the hollow of my shoulder. I chuckled quietly, brought my hand up gently and began to comb trough her hair with my fingers. She grumbled against my chest but stilled right after. I continued to work the knots out of her hair while I thought back on the events of the previous evening.

Ecstatic couldn't even cover how I was feeling. Not only had we taken a step sexually in our relationship, but she had even accepted every part of the imprint with open arms. It had even been her idea to have the tribal ceremony as soon as possible, and though I still wasn't as gun-ho about her plan to do college online and stay on the rez, I would support her decision just as she supported me and mine.

A howl ripped through the air and rattled the window pane on its way to my ears. One of my brothers was outside the house no more than forty feet away, and they needed me outside, now.

Bella and I both shot up at the same time. Her expression, though still glazed with sleep was just as worried as my own. I jumped out of the bed, and stood to peer out of the window. Embry's wolf was standing just inside the treeline at the edge of Bella's yard. His hackles were up and his jowels were pulled into a snarl.

I nodded at my brother and held up a hand for him to give me a moment before I turned back to Bella. She was still in the bed, but was sitting up and was more alert than before. She brushed some hair from her face and looked at me expectantly for news.

"Embry needs me," I leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, "probably found a leech trail."

"Be safe," she whispered, "you can go out the back, Charlie is gone by now."

I nodded and headed out the door and through the house at a sharp clip. I started undoing my shorts in the kitchen in my haste to phase. Bella had been right, though, and I never ran into Charlie as I exited the house.

I folded up the shorts and tied them to my ankle on the back porch, and streaked between the side yard and the trees phasing just before I hit the woods.

Do we need to re-think letting you stay the night with Bella, Jacob, Sam's exhasperated tone hit me full force as soon as I had phased.

Uhhhh, no, I was thouroughly confused, nothing happened to her last night. She's fine.

Dude, you are the worst wolf ever, Embry sighed, take a deep breath.

I tilted but inhaled deeply, and I finally understood what all the shit talking was about. The sugary rotting corpse scent hit me full force. This was feminine, but it wasn't the distinct smell that Victortia had.

Another new one, I growled and brought my nose to the ground and began to track the leech's movements. It was all on the side of he house that was closest to Bella's room, which made me sick. The bloodsucker's trail broke free from the trees and I followed it to the lone tree that was outside of Bella's window. I stretched up on my hind legs to follow how high the scent went. It stopped right at the branch that was just below window height. There was a perfect view right into Bella's room if her curtains were open.

I tried to think if I had even bothered to close the curtains when I had arrived the night before. Everything else swam though my mind, but for the life of me I couldn't remember if I had thought to shut the curtains.

Fuck, I growled and headed back up into the forest. We were being watched last night.

You didn't think to close the fucking curtains, Quil balked. I know where I should have been.

Not the time, Quil, Sam admonished. Quil whined but quieted down.

This is fucking ridiculous, Paul groused, I like Feisty, but she's a fucking leech magnet. Any bloodsucker in the North West is going to show up because she's a gourmet fucking treat.

If Paul hadn't been over ten miles away, I would have jumped him right then. It wasn't that he was wrong in what he said, it was the fact that it was true, and I had no clue how to stop it from happening.

If there's a new leech in town, we need to increase patrols, Sam began the new break down of patrols. I want someone outside her school while she's there, in the woods. Stay phased so that you can communicate quickly in case one of the leeches shows up. Half of the pack during that time will sleep, the other half will be on guard.

Everyone agreed without any qualms, probably due to the promise of guaranteed sleep, which hadn't been a thing for months. We mostly just slept when we had free time—that was rare—or if Sam let us take a night off. That was more rare.

I know some of you were wanting to go back to school, Sam continued, but until things have been quiet for a while, that is not a possibility. As far as anyone that doesn't know the truth is concerned, you're all getting your GED's.

I understood his need to bring up school. Seth, and Leah had been making some noise for a while about falling behind, and even Embry said that he was going to end up being held back a year. Personally, I didn't mind missing school. I was never one to really care for my grades, but the socializing was something that I would miss.

Still, I had Bella and the pack, now, and I though sometimes being a wolf royally blew, I wouldn't trade it for anything...especially with vampires constantly coming through town.

Embry and Quil headed off to go track the bloodsucker to see where she had gone after Bella's, and Sam headed back with me to the rez. We had been running silently for a while, and I guess my mind had begun to wander to me and Bella's conversation last night, because Sam began to ask questions:

So you're going to have a tribal ceremony to give face to her rights? I could practically hear his eyebrow quirk.

Yeah, I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it? She's an imprint just like Emily and Kim are, she should be treated the same. I hoped that Sam would back me on this. I knew he was a little stand offish with Bella, but he tended to be that way with Kim as well.

It does, Sam agreed. She does a lot for us and the tribe, and she should deserves to be taken care of if anything happens. You know your brothers and I would take care of her regardless, Jacob. This would just make it less weird to the rest of the tribe.

That's why she suggested having the ceremony as soon as possible, I grinned though I knew to her it was more of a matter of practicality than a commitment to her. We were already together for life, I knew this, but sealing it by officially bringing her into the tribe made me giddy. I knew for her a traditional pale face wedding meant more in those terms, and I would gladly go along with it. I would make sure anyone and everyone knew I was hers.

Do we need to start the process of requesting housing, or land? Sam questioned.

No...not anytime soon. Charlie isn't being informed for obvious reasons. Sixteen is adulthood for us, but until Bella is eighteen, there is no way she's getting out from under Charlie. The complications were starting to become clearer the closer I got to home.

If I had it my way as soon as the ceremony was over I would move her in with my dad and I, and start petitioning for land for our own place. The guys would help build, and we would start our own life together as early as possible.

I understand why the father cannot be told, Sam cut in. Its going to be hard enough for him to hear her plans for after high school have significantly changed. Most parents assume their children will go off to college, and get a job and then settle down. I'm assuming Bella is thinking differently?

We slowed to a walk as we entered the woods next to my home. I gave him a brief nod. She wants to take classes online and stay here on the rez so she can continue to help the pack while getting her education. There's no way Charlie is going to be oblivious to that, so I guess that's the first major hurdle.

Sam nodded and headed off. He was going to give me all the time I needed to talk to my father, and I was grateful. I heard him order Paul to the school to keep tabs on Bella. I relaxed enough to phase knowing that she had protection.

I walked out into the yard and headed into the house. My dad was at the dining table just finishing up his breakfast. He looked up and smiled at me when I entered, but his smile quickly faded—I assumed it was due to my own expression.

"I'm guessing whatever you've got going on has you not hungry?" He inquired as I dropped heavily onto our couch. It creaked in protest, but nothing cracked.

I shook my head and let it drop back against the wall. I stared at the smoke stained ceiling and sighed. There was good news to tell him, but the bad news was more pressing at the moment, and that was all I could focus on.

"Things go okay at Bella's," Dad rolled himself over to me and parked his chair to my left. He spread the blanket over his lap as he usually did when serious conversations were about to happen and waited.

"Things were...amazing...until I got outside," one of my hands flew to cover my face as I remembered Embry's insult. Worst wolf ever. "I was...uhh...preoccupied, and didn't smell the leech that was outside her window until I phased this morning."

Dad nodded in what I assumed was an attempt to be somber. However, the twitch in the corner of his mouth gave away his fighting of a smile. "Hormones do that," he nodded again. "Its not uncommon for one to forget the outside world when...deeply entrenched."

"Gross," I made a face of disgust and tried to push his chair back with my leg. Old bastard actually remembered to lock the wheels this time so he stayed put. "I was not entrenched, okay, it didn't go that far," I threw up my hands in defeat. Leave it to my dad to get all of the R-rated details before anything else. "Close, but not that far," I sighed and forced my hands back into my lap.

My dad just sat there and took the information in, his "serious pondering" marred by his twitching mouth. I wanted to smack the smirk from his face, but even if it was just playful, I could never hit my dad except for on his arm.

"Good for you, kid," he spoke lowly, "one less thing to keep from Charlie."

"About that," he turned his face to see me better, his curiosity was getting the better of him. If there was one thing I never argued, it was that despite the risks, it was better for our friends, and the majority of the tribe to never know that the legends were true. I knew the hardships it brought first hand, but I had gotten lucky with the imprint, so my secret keeping didn't last long. My dad, however, had been keeping the secret from Charlie for decades, and though it would probably be a benefit for the Chief of Police in town to know, he could never tell his best friend, per council's orders.

"Yes?"

"I really think with the way things are going, we need to tell Charlie. There was another new bloodsucker outside of Bella's window last night. Who knows how many more are going to stop through and get interested? Charlie should know so he can help us protect her," my tone verged on pleading. It wasn't just for my ease that I wanted Bella's father to know, but for his own safety. A gun wouldn't do much against a vampire, but at the very least it could buy enough time for whomever was staying in Bella's room to get there.

"I want to tell Charlie, too, son." My dad patted my knee, and by the slowness of the gesture I knew the words to follow wouldn't be to anyone's favor. "The council keeps turning me down whenever I try to seek permission to tell him. They acknowledge that he could be a help, but they don't want anyone in the know unless it is strictly necessary, and as of yet, they haven't seen it as such."

"Do they know what we're dealing with? Victoria? This new bloodsucker? How many more need to show up before the council finally realize that having extra eyes could be a help?"

"I don't know, Jake," my dad sighed heavily and retracted his hand. "Probably a tragedy that involves them all. Its sad, but that's probably what it'll take."

"Christ," I ran a hand through my short hair and slumped further into the couch. It was exactly what I expected, but I couldn't help but to feel let down by the council. I didn't have the pull that Sam did, but his own relationship with the council was strained.

"Anything else you need me for," dad asked, "been feeling a bit useless as of late."

I managed to smile at my dad. I knew I had been neglecting to spend time with him the past few months, mostly due to pack responsibilities, but partly due to soaking up every minute with Bella that I could.

"Actually, yeah," I straightened myself and leaned forward with my elbows on my knees. "I need you to do something for Bella and I."

He nodded and motioned for me to continue. The words started to stick in my throat. Hadn't we just gotten done talking about wishing we wouldn't have to keep secrets from Charlie? Here I was about to ask him to keep another.

"Nevermind..."

"Out with it, boy," he moved in his chair, "I'm too old for this 'maybe I shouldn't' shit."

"Fine," I tilted my head so I could look him straight in the eye, "Bella and I want you to have a ceremony for us so she will officially be accepted as Quileute."

Dad's mouth opened and closed several times as he tried to find the appropriate words to respond. I knew he wasn't expecting what I had just asked of him, especially so soon.

"So she has fully accepted the imprint and everything that it means," his voice was quiet but he was grinning. I just nodded, my expression mirroring his own. "That's great, son. I'm happy for the both of you! Bella is a wonderful young woman."

I nodded again. "She is. She was shocked at first, but came around to the idea. It was her idea to have the ceremony soon...you know, just in case"

His look became impassive at that point. He knew the danger I was in just as well as anyone else in the know, but he still didn't like to think about it.

"Fine by me," he unlocked his wheels and began to back up. "I will have to inform the council. All should be present for this. The ceremony hasn't been done with one of the participants being a pale face, so it'll be interesting when Quil Sr. finds out." He chuckled, as he rolled into the kitchen.

I spent the rest of the day while Bella was at school running around LaPush doing patrols to give a couple of the other guys a break since I had slept last night. I surprisingly wasn't hungry until I heard the school bell on the rez chime.

Bella would be arriving soon, and then we could head to Emily's and eat with the others.

Spending time at Emily's were some of my favorite moments about being a wolf. The sense of family radiated in the small space, and I loved it. The only thing that would make it better, was if my dad were there. I made a mental note to do what I could to include him more.

I heard her truck getting nearer to Emily's place so I phased and got dressed to meet her out front. The rumble stopped right as I walked out into the yard, and the engine cut off quickly. I smiled in her direction, but the gesture quickly dissolved when I saw the look of worry on her face.

"What's wrong, Bells," I headed over and put my arms on her shoulders and began to visually scan for any physical signs of harm.

"I'm fine," she assured me, but her face was still skewed with worry. "I just found out that two girls from my school went missing in Seattle over the weekend."

Crap. I took her hand and began to lead her into the house to go inform the others. "Who?"

"Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley. You've met them."

"Those two bitchy girls that you put down," I looked at her incredulously. "Who in their right mind would kidnap them?" Images of the angry blonde and brunette swam in my mind, and I couldn't grasp the notion that anyone would want to have them around—no matter what the nefarious reason was. They reeked of anger and pettiness.

I felt Bella's arm rise as she shrugged. "No idea. No one even knows if it was a kidnapping. They're just gone. Lauren's mom took them to Seattle last Friday for a shopping weekend, and when Mrs. Mallory woke up on Saturday, the girls weren't there. They had gone to some underage club the night before, and were expected to be in late, but they never showed." Bella made her way carefully onto the porch and crossed the open threshold into the dining area. Eight pairs of eyes focused on us with intense scrutiny.

"Two missing girls? Friends of yours?" Sam leaned against the narrow span of wall next to the fridge.

"Hardly," Bella snorted. "More like ritual tormenters. They both hate me."

"Get some leeches to do your dirty work, Feisty," Paul laughed. Before I could find something to throw at his stupid head, Leah took the initiative and slugged him hard. He growled and rubbed his arm, but kept his mouth shut after that.

"As much as I don't like them, I would never want them to come to any physical harm," Bella's brow furrowed. "They had been leaving me alone the past couple months...or at least they hadn't made any effort to be bitchy to my face."

"Doesn't make it any better in my book," Leah spat. "Maybe Paul, through some sort of divine intervention is half right. Maybe one of your bloodsuckers took them out because they wouldn't leave you alone?"

"I don't have bloodsuckers, Leah," Bella sighed. "The Cullen's wouldn't do that, anyway. They don't kill humans, remember?"

"Just because they're not cracking one open for a drink, doesn't mean they wouldn't kill for someone they used to protect. They're creatures of habit—maybe protecting you is one of them."

"We have no proof that any of the Cullens are back," Sam interjected. "None of our patrols have come up with any of their scents. Only the new one from this morning, and that one was no Cullen."

"Another new one?" Bella's voice was laden with worry. I squeezed her hand, and glanced down at her. She was looking straight ahead at Sam. "Where?"

"Outside your house," I spoke lowly, "out in the tree near your window." Her body stiffened. She was probably wondering the same thing that had crossed my mind earlier in the day.

"Curtains?" She looked up at me, her eyes were glassy.

I shook my head. They were open in the morning, so I was pretty sure I had never closed them.

Bella inhaled and held her breath. I could practically hear her counting to ten as she calmed herself. As time passed her eyes became less glassy and she finally exhaled.

I leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry. I should have noticed." She just shook her head and turned, brushing her lips swiftly against mine.

"Don't put blame anywhere," she whispered back. "We were both kind of preoccupied."

Quil whistled loudly, "that's for sure!"

"Shut up, Quil, or you're not getting fed," Emily held a ladle above her head threateningly, and all of the pack barring Leah flinched.

Bella broke the tension by laughing, and headed to the kitchen to get things plated for everyone. I took one of the empty seats at the table, and leaned heavily into it. News of Lauren and Jessica's disappearance was weighing on me. Girls like that didn't just disappear. They were, from what I had seen, queen bees. They wouldn't just leave their domain and run off to be nobody's in some other city.

They were both fairly attractive, and I could see why some asshole would take them if he had the chance. Probably a group of them if they were going to take two girls at once. I cringed inwardly thinking of what the girls could be enduring, or endured if they had already been disposed of. I hoped that wasn't the case—no woman, raving bitch or not, should have to endure such horrible things.

A clatter on the table in front of me pulled me from my thoughts. I looked down to find a heaping bowl full of watermelon chunks. My eyes widened, and I looked up to see if this was Bella's idea of bringing up the events of last night. Instead of my woman, I saw Emily smirking down at me. She patted the top of my head and headed back to the kitchen where Bella was standing, a hand covering her mouth. From the way she was shaking, I could tell she was laughing hard.

Bella removed her hand to mouth 'I'm so sorry', and then quickly clamped it back and turned away. Leah was snickering loudly to my right, and the rest of the guys were either turning, or sitting up to see what all the fuss was about.

"We shouldn't leave them alone, anymore," Jarred shook his head. "They're dangerous when they group up."

"Worried you're going to get a bowl of crotchless panties, there, Cameron?" Leah cackled, causing the two in the kitchen to break free from their silent laughter.

"Fish tacos," Bella and Emily shouted at the same time.

Jarred turned bright red and covered his face with his hands. I would have felt bad, except I was too glad that the heat had been taken off of me, at least for the moment. Quil was looking between the three of them in bewilderment, and I found it hard not to do the same. They were so in sync, it was scary.

"Fucking hell," Quil was now eyeing Jarred and I with pity, "I am so glad I don't have an imprint."

"We won't forget you, Quil," Bella patted his shoulder as she placed a heaping plate of roast and mashed potatoes before him. "You'll get yours."

"Gee, thanks," he muttered and began to dig into his food.

"Awww, is Quil of the Jungle, upset?" Leah jabbed through a mouth full of food.

Quil looked to the rest of us, lost at her words. 'Quil of the Jungle' he mouthed and looked to Seth of all people to help him figure it out.

Bella, who had been on her way back from handing Seth his plate, leaned down and stage whispered into Quil's ear: "Watch out for that tree, Quilly!"

Quil, who had been in mid swallow promptly choked, and glared at Leah who had scooted back from the table to slap her leg, trying desperately not to choke on her own food.

Everyone else, including Sam, began to laugh. Though Quil had earned many nicknames due to his antics, 'Quil of the Jungle', I could tell, was the new favorite. My brother looked betrayed by everyone's reaction, and just sunk lower into his chair and folded is arms over his chest to sulk.

"Don't be like that," Bella finally spoke once the laughter had died down. "You know it's all out of love."

"Not the type of love, I'm looking for," he muttered.

"Can't help you there," she patted him on the head. "You're my brother, Quil, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't give you shit."

"What's their excuse?"

"Well they're your sisters, too, yeah?" Bella continued to ferry food between the kitchen to the different members of the pack. "Just think of it like this: we have years of lack of shit-talking to make up for."

He groaned, but quit protesting. Probably for the best since from the look on the girls' faces, he wasn't going to win this one. I looked at everyone else's plates of roast, and back to my bowl of watermelon. I shrugged and began to eat what was in front of me.

After I had gotten through a few pieces, Emily finally took pity on me and switched plates out so that I wouldn't have to eat just fruit. I thanked her quietly, and she simply responded that my watermelon would be in the fridge if I missed it.

Dinner lapsed into silence after that. No one spoke, and the only sound was the scraping of utensils on ceramic plates. Even Emily and Bella who usually tried to get us to converse ate quietly while leaning against the counters.

I wasn't sure why the atmosphere had suddenly gotten so heavy. On my part I was worrying about Charlie finding out about my and Bella's ceremony. I was nearly one hundred percent sure that a bullet wouldn't kill me, but I still wasn't wanting to get shot. Plus, the healing before his eyes would out the pack. That wasn't an option. If the council deemed that Charlie shouldn't be involved, I would follow their ruling.

As we finished, Emily or Bella would arrive to collect our plates. Each of the wolves in attendance had devoured three helpings, so our early dinner had taken a bit longer than usual. It was nearing sunset, and I knew Bella would have to leave.

As soon as she passed Sam, to head for the door, Sam nodded for me to go with her. I stood and followed her out. She didn't question my coming along, and for that I was glad. I didn't want to talk about the new arrival in town any more than necessary.

I sat in the passenger seat, since she had expressed an interest in actually being able to drive her truck. I agreed that since we had become involved that if I were riding with her I would usually be behind the wheel. It was her truck, she should be able to drive it.

She was quiet, and pensive as she drove. The wind from my open window whipped her hair around her face, but she never complained. I wasn't going to let myself be caught unaware again, if there was a vampire near by I would know before we got too close.

As we turned onto her street, the scent of a second unknown vampire wafted into my nostrils. I was no rocket scientist, but if there was a vampire on this street, I only needed one guess as to where it had made its stop. The scent was faint, and it had been gone for a while, but I couldn't help myself from sticking my head out of the window and inhaling like a common dog.

"Something's been here," she stated. I made a noise of agreement as she pulled into her driveway. The smell was still old, but stronger here. It engulfed the property, like the leech had taken the time to roll its body along the entire lawn.

"Stay by the truck, please," I got out as she turned off the truck and took off at a sprint, circling the house. The smell was everywhere. I growled as I came around the domicile from the left to see Bella staring up at the house slack jawed.

"Jake..." she trailed off, and just pointed up at the house.

I turned, not seeing anything out of place for a moment. I had been expecting blood splatter, or some sort of graffiti, but nothing of the sort caught my eye. I looked back to her questioningly. She seemed irate. Her hands reached out and flailed at the house.

"The windows, Jacob!" I looked quickly back to the house and at the front window to the living room. Again, nothing seemed out of place, barring the fact that it was open. I looked up to one of the smaller windows on the second level—open. The attic window? Open.

"What the fuck," I hissed and took off around the house again. This time I payed attention to every darkened square that peppered the white siding of the house. All of the windows I laid eyes on were opened as far as they would go. Every. Fucking. One.

"Jake," I heard Bella call from the front of the house. I rounded the corner again, to see her half way up the walk. I put a hand out for her to wait, and she stopped.

"Whats up," I slowed so that I was between her and the door. It was the only way into the house that was closed, so I assumed the back door was closed as well.

"All of them?" I nodded. She frowned and moved to head into the house. I growled and side stepped to get between her and the door again. I needed the pack here to help me search the house quickly, and to watch Bella, but if I phased I would be leaving her alone even if it was for a short amount of time. I was torn.

"Move," she made to go past me in the other direction, and instead of blocking her, I wrapped my solid arms around her and held her tightly to me. To anyone happening by, it would look like a normal embrace, but I was tensed and ready to stifle any struggling until I figured out what I was going to do about this catch twenty-two.

Leaning down, I kissed the top of her head firmly. "Just give me a second to figure out what to do before you go walking into a potential death trap." I squeezed her a little bit more, and then let go, hoping I wouldn't have to trap her again. Bella listened, and stood still, looking up at me patiently.

"I want to get the pack here, but I don't want to leave you alone," I whispered. If there were a bloodsucker in the house they would be able to hear me anyway, but the compulsion to keep my voice low was too strong.

"I'll go with you then, if it'll make you feel better," she suggested.

"Sure, sure," I felt like an idiot for not thinking of that myself. I took her hand and headed off to the left of the house to the closest patch of woods, mentally kicking myself the entire time. Phasing would not be a problem with how worked up I was.

When we entered the treeline, I set her up against an evergreen a few trees back from the yard. She tilted her head at me and grinned, giving me a long look first at my face, then at my junk.

I rolled my eyes. "Quit objectifying me, Bells. It hurts my feelings," I kicked off my shoes on either side of her before I backed up, unbuttoning my shorts as I went.

"You're such a fucking liar, Jake," she scoffed and motioned for me to go quicker. "Now show me the goods before I come over there and do it for you!"

"I knew you only wanted me for my body," I faked a heavy sigh and did as I was told. Her face lit up in obvious appreciation, and I couldn't help but to let it go straight to my ego.

"Damn straight," Bella giggled and bit her lip. I kicked my shorts at her, sending them straight into her chest. She caught them and smirked. "You're never getting these back, now."

"I'll be sure to tell Charlie you're the reason why I'm sitting at the kitchen table naked," I shot back, and she frowned. I win.

"Sure, sure, you'll get your clothes back. Just phase so we can get the others here. I need to get the windows closed before Charlie shows up!"

Her words were all the motivation I needed. I exploded out of my skin and into my wolf form in record time. I landed squarely on all four feet, and shook myself as Bella stood there watching in awe.

You on the way home, Sam asked as soon as I got my footing.

No, I growled, there's another new leech in town. This one was at Bella's house, no more than three hours ago. It opened all of the windows in her house. I could see their courses change as all the phased wolves headed in my direction.

The windows? Seth whined. Why the windows?

Not sure, I looked off to the house to make sure we were still alone. A message maybe?

Where's Bella, Sam questioned.

With me. I didn't want her to be by herself. Haven't been inside yet. Like I said the scent is old, and the windows are open—no fresh scent from inside. I just couldn't leave her alone.

Be there soon, brother, Quil sounded pissed.

My attention flew back to Bella—she looked scared. I began to growl louder, trying to find the source of her fear, and came up with squat. I didn't smell or hear anything either except for my own growling.

Maybe it's you, jackass, a vision of Quil rolling his eyes flashed before me.

I wanted to continue to growl in response, but the asshole was probably right. Talking about bloodsuckers usually made my blood boil, and when I was phased I usually paid no attention to growling, snarling, or any other noise. It was all second nature to me. Bella, however, had only seen me in my wolf form a handful of times, and I was always careful to make myself seem like a giant puppy instead of the killing machine that I was.

I flattened my ears, lowered myself to the ground, and ceased growling. I hated feeling prone with the smell of some unknown leech permeating the area. I had to keep reminding myself, that Bella didn't understand wolf behavior, and I didn't want her to be scared of me.

"Jake," she took a tentative step forward, my shorts still clutched to her chest. I let my tongue hang out of my mouth, hoping to ease the tension. She froze mid step and stuck a finger out at my nose. "If you lick me again, I swear you're getting neutered!"

I whimpered, and brought my tongue back into the safety of my snout. She continued to step closer until she was right in front of my nose. Bella reached out and ran her hand along the side of my muzzle. I closed my eyes contentedly and leaned heavily into her hand, further perpetuating the 'giant dog' facade I put on when she was around. It was too easy to be like this around her, and I knew that there would probably come a day where she would have to see me in my snarling, teeth-gnashing glory again, but I hoped it wouldn't be anytime soon.

"I don't think I'll ever get over how gorgeous you are like this," she spoke so quietly I wasn't sure if I was supposed to hear it. Quil snickered in my mind and I had to quiet the rumble that began to build in my chest.

Shut it, Ateara, I kept my retort strictly mental.

Better phase back, we're almost there.

Though I was enjoying her delicate fingers running through my fur, I wanted to change to spare the others having to watch the eye fucking I was about to get. I nudged her back with my nose gently, and she retreated back to the tree she had walked away from.

Bella tossed me my shorts after taking another long look at my naked body. I smirked back at her as I got dressed. "Don't get used to this," I gestured down at my frame.

"Fine. Don't want to see you naked, anymore, anyway," she folded her arms and looked away.

"Not like this, I meant," I closed the distance between the two of us and pressed her back against the tree. "If I'm going to be naked in front of you, I'd like to request that there be a bed involved."

"Ahhhh," she leaned forward and pressed her lips to my bare chest. "No hard ground, or sand for you, huh? Getting soft on me, Jake?"

"Hard as ever," I pressed my groin against her middle for emphasis, and she gasped. I wasn't fully ready to go, but I was putting some strain against the fabric of my shorts.

"Great, Jake got into Pandora's Box last night, and now he's going to be running around with a hard on for the next few months," Embry's voice penetrated the relative silence of the forest.

"As long as his head is in the game, that's fine," Sam piped in.

I took a few steps back from Bella, the moment, and my boner sufficiently done with. Time to get back to business. I reached out for Bella's hand and walked behind Quil, Embry, Paul, Seth and Sam back to Bella's house.

Seth and Paul offered to stay outside with Bella while Quil and Sam searched the upstairs and Embry and I took the main floor. I had been in this house countless times over the years, and knew the placement of all of the objects like the back of my hand—nothing had been so much as touched. It was like things in the house didn't matter, only opening each and every one of the windows did. We shut every window we came across, and Embry even managed to squeeze into the attic to get those windows as well. By the time we were done, it would appear that nothing had happened.

The others exited the house after me scratching their heads, it was beyond all of us why a bloodsucker would resort to petty stunts.

"Anything," Bella asked as she shifted from foot to foot. She was next to her truck, and Seth and Paul were behind and next to her, preventing an attack from her free sides.

I shook my head along with the others.

"This is really childish for someone that has the potential to be the grandparent of our grandparents," Paul rolled his eyes at the house.

"Could be a newborn," Bella suggested. "Or a relatively new vampire."

"Don't they lose all taste for things of their time and become all...holier-than-thou?" Quil's comment, though poorly worded, was something I had been wondering about, myself.

"From my experience," she coughed and her cheeks turned a bit pink, "usually they tend to hold on to as much of their human lives and ideals as possible. Helps them to blend in. Eventually when they've been around enough, and time passes, they adapt to the current times."

Sam suddenly went rigid at my side. I looked over at him and saw his jaw tensed and his eyes squeezed shut "Uhhh...Sam? What's going on?" My brothers and I all took a couple steps off to the side to give him room, and Seth grabbed Bella around the middle and pulled her back to the tailgate of her truck.

"Two girls from your school went missing this weekend," Sam ground out, "two girls that hate you. Two girls that are probably petty..." I hadn't seen Sam work this hard to keep control in a long time. He had been a wolf the longest, and had more practice with control under his belt than anyone.

The rest of us tensed at his hypothesis, and Bella gasped. It was a good theory, and it seemed to fit, but there was one issue I couldn't wrap my head around.

"What about the blood lust? We haven't heard of any disappearances within Forks since those two went missing."

"We haven't been watching Seattle," Sam finally had control of himself, and was pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "They're not as fast as us, but they could run to Seattle and feed to lessen suspicions."

"This is all assuming we aren't just sticking our heads up our asses," Paul sighed, "until we have an interview with one of the leeches, we won't know for sure...and I don't know about you, but if I get close enough, I won't really be in the head space to talk."

The others nodded in agreement. Bella just stood there lost in her own head. I wanted to know what she was thinking about, but I assumed that since she wasn't voicing her thoughts, that they were probably not for public consumption.

"Just make sure that no matter what, you have one or two of us with you when you're here," Sam spoke to Bella. She jerked her head up to look at him and nodded, forcing a smile.

The others dispersed, and Seth offered to stay in his wolf form, in the woods as a quick link to the pack if anything happened. I didn't have watch here tonight, it was Jarred's turn, but he was going to go see Kim for an hour or so before heading over.

I walked inside with Bella, who immediately began to cook for her father. She seemed calm, and fluid as she did in Emily's kitchen. For some reason this bothered me. It wasn't that I wanted her to be stumbling all over the place and crying but the fact that she seemed unphased by the day's events was disturbing all on its own.

As she was pouring the spaghetti sauce into a pot to heat up, I realized I couldn't keep quiet any longer. "How are you so fucking calm? Its freaking me out."

She held up a finger for me to give her a minute, and dumped the box of pasta she was holding into boiling water. She set the timer on the stove, and turned to face me.

"I'm not calm. I am freaking out, but running around, crying, and pitching a fit is only going to make me tired, predictable, and an easier target." She held up the wrist with the silvery scar on it. "I've been toyed with by a vampire before. Its scary, and it sucks ass, but I'm going to do the opposite of what I did last time."

I tilted my head, wondering what her master plan was.

"Being scared, terrified, on the verge of pissing myself—fine...as long as I don't react by running, crying, or playing into whatever sick scenario they have set in their head. I am perfectly capable of mentally freaking out without needing the physical component to go with it."

Bella's eyes widened as I crossed the small kitchen in two strides, and pulled her into my arms. I lifted her so that she was eye level with me and kissed her lightly on her full lips.

"Never going to get used to Bella the Bad Ass," I grinned and kissed her again. Her hands wrapped themselves around my shoulders, effectively doing her best to keep my lips as close to hers as possible.

"It's Feisty," she pouted and stuck out her lower lip, which I quickly caught between my teeth and tugged on gently. She whimpered quietly right as I heard Charlie's cruiser pull up. Sighing heavily, I rested my forehead against hers for a second before I put her down. She frowned at the loss of contact.

"I'll see you, tomorrow," I ran one of my hands down her arm. "Seth is outside, and Jarred will be here later. Just enjoy time with your dad."

Bella nodded, and I quickly made my exit out the back door as I heard Charlie's key turning in the lock at the front. I shut the door quietly behind me, and ran across the shallow side yard to the woods.

I stripped and phased in record time. I had decided to leave that particular pair of shorts at Bella's just in case they were needed in the future, so I ran without an annoying parcel of denim attached to me.

I headed back to the rez to begin my patrol for the night. It was my job to run the northern perimeter, a trek that I had done countless times before, but after the day's events there was no way I was going to zone out on my run. Bella needed me to protect her, especially if Sam's idea of what was going on was true.

Newborns from what Bella had told us, are dangerous enough on their own, but newborns with a hatred that can only be possessed by a teenage girl? Fuck that. If Sam was right, this was going to get worse before it got better.


	7. How Cruel is the Golden Rule? pt1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this chapter will begin the process of posting chapters in multiple parts where applicable. This chapter brings us up to date with where this story is on FF.net. 
> 
> Starting with this chapter, I have a beta reader. On here, she goes by Elizabeth_From_The_Wolves. She is genius, and knows when to kick my ass, or guide me in the best direction for the story/characters/readers. I am so glad I found her, and ecstatic that she agreed to help me!
> 
> This chapter is intense, so do be warned, this won't be light and fluffy like some of the previous chapters.
> 
> Enjoy!

**How Cruel is the Golden Rule? pt1**

I woke up the morning after I came home to find all the windows in my house open feeling a familiar pit in my stomach. The lightness I tried to convey around Jacob and the others yesterday was gone, and all I could process was a sense of dread.

The windows were obviously a message to all of us:  _you might as well be out in the open._  Though previously I had no illusions as to being safe while in my home, to have the point driven by one of those hunting me had me shaken.

I tried to keep my heart beat even, not knowing if Jared was awake yet or not. I felt bad for him having to keep watch at my place more than the others. He had someone to get home to, and I know sleeping in another girl's room was not high on his 'want-to-do' list.

The last thing I needed was for Jared to phase and tell the pack that I was scared. I wanted to keep things as normal as possible, and though vampires hunting me had become the norm, never before had such a simple thing as an open window utterly terrified me.

Leaving the windows open was such a petty thing. Though made grand by the fact that every window had been opened, it was still such a small thing that I was amazed that a being like a vampire had done it. Theatrics were not uncommon among their ranks, but this was odd in comparison to other stunts I'd seen vampires pull.

_It has to be a newly turned vampire_ , I thought frowning into my pillow.  _Someone who may still have some human instincts and thoughts._

My mind automatically shifted to Lauren and Jessica. I hadn't allowed myself to truly think in depth about the possibility that the unknown vampires in town were really just Lauren and Jessica returning home after having been turned. I shivered and pulled my covers tighter around myself. That was the last thing I needed after Victoria. Two  _new_  bloodthirsty vampires that hated me so much in life that they've come back to torture me in death.

My alarm clock went off, causing me to sit straight up in an instant. I reached to my left and slapped the 'off' button and took a shaky breath. I had to get my shit together, or I was going to be even more guarded than I was now. I was beginning to miss my time alone since I so rarely got any of it. Little moments like taking a shower or brushing my teeth became reprieves from intense eyes.

Jared stretched and yawned from the rocking chair across the room. "Morning, Bella." He drew out my name as he got caught up in yet another yawn.

"Sorry about the chair, Jar," my frown deepened, "I wish there was another option for you. That can't be comfortable."

"It's not," he grinned, "but it's something I can deal with once a week." He stood and stretched himself, his neck cracked as he rolled his head in a circle. I winced at the sound.

"Not that I don't like spending time with you, or anything," I got out of bed and headed to my closet to pick out my clothes for the day, "but I really wish you didn't have to."

"Same here, Feisty," I looked over and he was at the window, peering off into the woods. I guess he saw who he was looking for because he nodded and opened the window, before pausing to turn his head towards me. "Seth's here. He's got watch until you get to LaPush later."

"Sweet," I nodded my appreciation, "thanks Jared. See you later. Tell Kim I say 'hi'!"

"Will do," he grinned and dove out of the window.

I shook my head at his display and turned back to my closet. I was feeling a bit adventurous today. The box of new clothes my mom had gotten called to me. I pulled it swiftly from the closet and searched through until I found a suitable sleeveless top that had extra large arm holes. I grabbed a skin colored tank top to throw on underneath, and a pair of jeans. I adored the weather in Forks in May. Barring random rain storms, it was mostly sunny, and decently warm for the area.

I was feeling so good about the way that I looked, that I decided to throw on some eyeliner and mascara. I had picked up a hidden talent to apply a perfect cat eye from a Halloween party for my mom's work that I was dragged to a couple years prior. I had tried at home and failed horribly, but had no time to attempt to fix anything before my mom had dragged me at the door. I was so self-conscious that one of my mother's friends from work had taken me into the bathroom and taught me how to get perfect winged liner. I wouldn't have figured this would be information my brain would retain, but on very rare occasions it had come in handy.

Today was one of those days. I smiled at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. The wings were small, but symmetrical, and the lack of liner on my lower lashes made my eyes look huge and round. I found a brownish nude lipstick—the only lipstick I owned, and popped that on to balance out my face.

I had never found myself to be ugly, but I never would think of myself as someone that anyone would give a second look. Usually I would describe myself as plain, but today I verged on pretty. I was rather proud of myself for looking so put together, and hoped that when I saw Jake later today that he would appreciate the work I had just put in.

I put my hair up into a high ponytail and headed down the stairs to find something I could eat without messing up my lipstick. Anything liquidy or greasy was out, so I just settled on a package of smores pop-tarts. I angled my chair towards the clock and watched the clock closely as I broke off bite sized pieces of the pastry. Even if I took my time eating, I would end up being at least half an hour early to school. I didn't mind. I could always read in my car until Angela showed up, and then go join my friends. Then it would only be a few short hours until I would be on the road to LaPush and would be with the pack again.

The only thing about today I wasn't looking forward to, was coming home later in the evening. I was being toyed with, and I knew it wasn't going to stop at just the one occurrence, but there was no way to tell when the next time I would get messed with would be. I knew that at the very least I wouldn't be alone when the time came, but I just hoped that it wouldn't be so bad that we couldn't fix things before Charlie showed up.

With the last bite of pop-tart in my mouth, I stood and tossed the wrapper into the trash before heading out the door. I looked off to the right of the house, and saw no sign of the sand colored wolf, but I knew he was somewhere in there watching.

"Morning, Seth," I called. I got no answer, as expected. Still, I suspected he had heard me.

The drive to school seemed longer than normal due to my excitement to see Jake later in the day. There was next to no traffic on the road, and I was even slightly speeding, but I felt as if I was driving through molasses.

I pulled into the parking lot which was a lot fuller for this early before school than it should have been. I ended up having to park almost completely across the lot from the entrance to the school. Everyone was out of their cars socializing, and showing each other things on their cell phones.

I became slightly annoyed at the sight. The prevalence of cell phones bothered me. Nearly everyone at the school had one, and if they weren't forced to put them away, their noses were all but pressed to the small screens. Kids at lunch tended to text each other instead of simply looking over and talking to the person next to them. It was impersonal, and seemed to come between people instead of bringing people together as they were originally intended to do.

Mike, and Angela had asked me repeatedly why I didn't have one. When I told them my reasons why, they just laughed. The biggest reason, one that I hadn't told them, was that I felt that a cell phone just boiled down to being a six hundred dollar leash. There was no way to cut yourself off and just be alone without constant vibrating or stupid ringtones. Sure you could turn the phone off, but at that point it would just be an expensive paper weight.

I was so lost in my mental rant about cell phones that I barely noticed the momentary quiet that had come over the parking lot. The usual din of chatter had hushed, and everyone was watching as I pulled my truck into one of the last open places. I was vaguely reminded of my first day at Forks High School.

The movement of lips began again, almost as soon as it had stopped. I scanned the area for Angela, and finally settled on the familiar faces of our usual group. Mike's eyes were as wide as saucers as he just stared down at the screen of his phone. Tyler, who had been morose and nearly on the verge of tears the day before due to Lauren's disappearance, was grinning like a cat that ate the canary at Mike's phone from over his shoulder. A few of Tyler's friends were standing around doing the same—but Angela wasn't in sight.

I wasn't much of a fan of Tyler, and since I had outed him to Lauren about how he had criticized her sexual technique, he wasn't a fan of me either. We pretty much pretended that the other didn't exist after that point which was fine by me. I didn't have to hear him apologize for almost killing me the year before, anymore.

I pulled out my history textbook and began to go over the chapters we were reviewing for class. Finals were in two weeks, and so we were doing overviews of everything we had learned this semester. I had fallen slightly behind in my schoolwork since I had become so active with the pack, and with Jacob, and if I had any hope of ending the school year with straight A's I had to do well when finals hit.

I was in the middle of the civil war when there was a knock on my window. I jumped slightly and whipped to see who it was.  _Good, it's just Angela._  I rolled down my window with herculean effort and smiled at her. She was looking down at her feet, as she usually did when she was debating on something.

"Hey, Ang," I leaned closer to the door, trying to pull her attention upward. "What's up? Stressing over finals?"

"Yeah...kinda," her gaze stayed glued to the floor, and she shifted slightly from foot to foot. Her hands were shoved deep into the front pocket of her hoodie, and the slight bulge in the front made it seem like she was holding something.

"You shouldn't worry on it too much, Ang. You're going to do just fine—its just test anxiety." I took a moment to turn back to my bad and shove my history book back inside. I zipped my bag closed quickly, and looked back to Angela. She was looking at me, and her face was creased with indecision, and worry.

"Its not that," a loud laugh a few cars away caught both of our attentions. I made a face of disgust as Tyler ground his pelvis into the side of his van while his friends laughed or made exaggerated moans. Mike was looking at me apologetically, and immediately looked away when I made eye contact.

"They are fucking stupid," I grumbled and looked back at Angela who looked mystified. "What's the face for?"

"You don't know." It wasn't a question, rather a statement of fact. My face contorted in confusion.

"Know what?" My eyes flickered back to Tyler who had pulled his basketball shorts up into short shorts and was parading around in the circle his friends had formed, before going back to Angela.

"Shit," I raised my eyebrows at Angela's curse. Something must be really wrong if she broke her self-imposed no swearing rule. She fumbled for a moment in her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. I waited patiently while she fumbled to unlock her screen, and tapped on it a few times. She then pulled the screen protectively against her chest and looked at me with a sincerely apologetic look. "I just...I don't want you to go in there and get caught off guard, okay? I don't  _want_  you to see this, but if it were me I would want to know."

"Just show me, Ang," I held out my hand and she shakily offered me her phone.

It took me a moment to register what was on the small screen. At first glance it seemed like a series of explicit pictures, and I was wondering why Angela of all people would have porn on her phone. I tapped on one to enlarge it and gasped.

The picture was of me standing at the foot of my bed, in my lacy top, and red satin shorts over a shirtless Jacob.  _No._  I swiped to the next one—I was straddling Jake with my hands on his chest, my head tilted back in ecstasy.  _God, no._

Every picture was worse than the last. The pictures, fifteen in all, documented my entire night with Jacob, up until the point that he had laid me down on the bed to finish himself off. From the angle of the pictures, there was no was to tell that he wasn't buried in me to the hilt. In some of the pictures you could see darkness in the corners which were none other than the edges of my window.

I wordlessly handed the phone back to Angela, resisting to throw it as far away from me as possible. "Who sent this," I whispered, l kept my eyes on my steering wheel.

"I-I don't know, Bella. The ID is blocked...it just says 'unknown'. I tried responding asking who it was, and nobody answered." Her voice was sad, and I knew I should thank her for trying to help, but I couldn't get the words out.

"Who else got them?"

I heard the sound of her shoe grinding against the asphalt. "Uhm...so far, from what I've heard...everyone."

"Everyone?" I squeaked and white knuckled the steering wheel.  _This cannot be happening...this cannot be happening…_

"I don't know for sure, Bella...but I walked all the way through the parking lot to get to you, and from the sound of it, that's all everyone is talking about." Angela sounded like she was going to cry. I still was processing the idea that my first serious sexual experience had been put on blast for the entirety of Forks High School to enjoy.

I am a private person. I like keeping things close to my chest. I like the fact that if someone wants to know something about me, it is within  _my_  power to fill them in. The matter of the pack having the intimate details of my relationship with Jacob was different. We all were in the same boat, everyone shared everything, so in turn everyone was respectful of the others. More so, the pack had  _context_ , and a story along with the images they saw. Other than the bowl of watermelon, and the jibes at Jake's expense, no one made fun, or commented on what had gone on between Jacob and I that night.

This, however, was the worst invasion of privacy I could think of. None of the people that had received these images knew me as a person, save for Angela, and none of them knew Jacob. They had no idea of what was going on in our lives, and they certainly had no concept of how to be discreet about it.

My eyes traveled through the various groups of students. Most were looking between my truck and their phones, others were laughing loudly and sharing what I assumed were my private moments with those who hadn't yet seen, and lastly there were the groups, like Tyler's, that were making obscene gestures and cat calls.

Tears threatened to spill out of my eyes, and there was no way I was going to let the school see me cry. Part of me thought that making such a scene would make them think twice about their actions, but the other part, the stubborn part of me, didn't want to let them think I was as embarrassed as I was.

Still, with as bad as the staring was, now, I didn't think I could handle being trapped in classes with these people all day. Angela, it seemed was the only person that was the least bit upset on my behalf, but I only saw her in a couple of classes and at lunch.

_I can't do this._  I sniffed loudly.

"I'm going home," I spoke to the steering wheel, hoping my voice was loud enough for Angela to hear me.

"Okay," she whispered and backed up. I rolled up my window as quickly as I could and turned the key in the ignition. My truck roared to life, and instead of giving it the customary warm-up period that Jacob had suggested when he had first gifted her to me, I immediately backed out of my spot, and swung to the right so I could head out.

I cursed silently at the speed at which I had to drive through to get to the exit of the lot. Everyone stared openly as I passed, not bothering to be discreet in their oggling. I wanted

nothing more than to give them all the bird, and scream at them through the thick windows of the cab, but I didn't. They had enough reason to talk, and I wasn't going to do anything to make it worse.

I sped home, not caring that it was my job as the sheriff's daughter to uphold the law at all times. I blew through the only intersection between myself and my home right as the light was about to turn red. Thankfully I didn't see any of Charlie's deputies.

_Fuck. Charlie_. I had no idea what I was going to do about that. There was a high chance that soon, not only would the entire school know, but the rest of the town as well. Forks seemed to have the highest population of gossips in the continental US. The news would be all the more juicy due to who my father was.

_That's the last thing Charlie needs...to be labeled as the father of an exhibitionist daughter._ I hoped that this wouldn't reflect so badly on him that it would affect his job. I didn't want people to start wondering how he could keep the town in order if he allowed his teenage daughter to sleep with men under his roof.

My fist slammed against the empty seat next to me. Damage control was something I had grown accustomed to, but I was at a complete loss at what to do in this situation. There were so many factors and people to consider that I had no idea where to begin.

I pulled up in front of my house and cut the engine. I opened the door, leaving the key in the ignition and ran up to the front door, almost forgetting to shut the driver's' side door shut before I went. The lock was uncharacteristically hard to open in my haste to be out of view of the public. I was still fighting tears, and didn't want to turn into a sobbing mess out on my porch.

When I finally got inside, I let out a shuddering sigh of relief. I was alone, and I was in a place where I felt safe enough to finally cry.

I was at the foot of the stairs when I stopped and looked up at the entry to my safe haven. I stalled. Yet again, the sanctity of my home was ruined by some vampire that was intent on ruining my life before they decided to eat me.

If I had been thinking clearly I would have gone back outside and driven straight to LaPush, or better yet, stuck my head out the door to see if Seth had followed me back from the school, and asked him to get the others. Thinking clearly is hard to do when you've been publicly humiliated, and your home has been invaded, yet again, with the intent to remind you of the humiliation you've just gone through.

I was so intent on what was in front of me that all sense of reason went out the window. I took the stairs slowly, keeping my eyes on my bedroom door, and the word spray painted across it:

WHORE.

Below the bright red scrawl was the lace shirt, and the red satin shorts. Both items were held tightly to the door by two inch long nails. Each of the nails was driven at least half way in, and were bent to prevent my simply trying to slide the clothing off over the ends.

This outfit had been a symbol of not only my further letting go of Edward, but of my forging new friendships with the pack girls, and my wanting to please Jacob.

Now the two items of clothing had become beacons of embarrassment, shame, and crippling fear of what was to come.

I was mad that something that should have been life altering in a good way was now causing me to fight the pop-tart I had eaten earlier back down into my stomach. I knew I had done nothing wrong by physically showing affection to my boyfriend, and that there was no shame in what I had done, but the circumstances of the day skewed the whole situation enough that I felt the shame, and embarrassment wholly. I became convinced that if I got rid of the evidence in my home, that maybe the reaction from Charlie wouldn't be so bad. The spray paint was going to be the tricky part, along with the nail holes that made an outline of a tank top and shorts.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck_. I began grasping wildly at the nails trying with all my might to pull them out of the door. I had no idea where Charlie hid the tools in the trash heap he called a garage, so a hammer was out. I could call the pack to come by and help, but I didn't want them to see this either.  _I am so fucked._

The dam broke, and tears began to flow down my face freely in my frustration. The nails, which were probably pushed in and bent with minimal effort felt like they were encased in stone instead of wood. I only knew of one person who was mean enough to do something like this, and for all I knew she was a few miles away smirking at the sound of my cries.

In my mind there was no doubting it now. Lauren, and most likely Jessica had been turned, and were toying with me as only a vindictive high school girl would...by destroying my confidence and my social life in one fell swoop. I cried even harder at my inability to leave their threats without a reaction. I wished desperately that I was strong enough to not react—that I would've gone to school with my head held high and told each and every student to 'fuck off and mind their own business'. I wished that I could have a cool enough head to not worry about what Charlie would think when he got home and saw the damage done to the house, and to tell him 'its fine dad—some girls at school just don't like me'.

The vicious cycle I found myself in continued to spiral. The more I realized that no reaction was the best reaction, the more I found that I was incapable of having no reaction and I would cry harder.

I felt a warm presence behind me on the small landing, and a tentative hand reached out and touched the word on the door. I heard a growl, but it wasn't as deep as most of the others. Seth.  _Great._  In my hysterics I had momentarily forgotten about the wolf keeping tabs on me. There was no way I could keep this from the pack now. As much as Seth feared my retaliation, what I could do would be nothing compared to Jacob or Sam if he tried to keep this a secret. A fresh wave of sobs began.

"Bella," I felt his hand lightly on my shoulder. I shrugged out of it quickly. I didn't need comfort, I needed these damn nails out of my door before Charlie got home! "Come on, Bella, the house smells like leech—they'll kill me if I leave you here!"

I shook my head and pulled harder at the nails. The metal bit into my skin due to the force I was putting behind my mad grabs, and I was sure that I had a few cuts, though I didn't feel them.

Seth sighed heavily and I felt the heat behind me dissipate. I knew he wasn't going to leave me alone for long, and the next time he showed up, it would probably be to drag me to my truck.

Seth had made his way into the kitchen and was on the phone. I didn't have super hearing, so I only caught the one side of the conversation.

"...she just left school...of course she's here, that's why I am…well I had to call because I wasn't going to leave her in a house that smells like leech! ...I don't know all of what happened, really...I'm not telling you over the phone….just get here, she's going to hurt herself!" The phone slammed down, and I heard Seth groan in frustration.

Soon after he was behind me again on the small landing. I was still working on the same nail from where I had started, and as the adrenaline began to wear off I realized that the pads of my fingers were probably bruised from gripping the hard metal with all my strength. I also noticed that the insides of my hand felt wet. They slid as I tried to keep a good grip on the nail.  _Probably bleeding_. I wasn't bothered by it in the slightest, the only thing on my mind was getting the nails out before any of Seth's backup arrived.

"Bella," he put his hand on my shoulder again. I tried to shake him off again, but he just pressed firmly against my skin. I kicked a leg back, hoping to put some distance between the two of us, and connected against his knee. He sighed heavily and I quickly felt two large arms wrap around me. One over my shoulders, and the other around my waist. I screamed in protest, but he just pulled me closer to him and further from the door.

"I need to get the nails out! I don't want anyone to see," I wailed. My cry might as well have fallen on deaf ears, because Seth didn't stop walking until we were standing squarely between the mantle and the couch in my living room.

I hadn't bothered kicking or trying to get free. Even though he was the smallest male of the pack, Seth was stronger than I could ever hope to be. I continued trying to cajole him to let me go through my tears, but he never responded other than a curt 'no'.

As stubborn as I was, I knew this wasn't a battle I was going to win. I was already becoming quickly exhausted from crying, and just didn't have the fight in me to try and wriggle free. Not that I could have managed to get away from Seth anyway. Some of my sense was returning to me, and I wondered if I promised to sit on the couch, if Seth would get rid of the damning evidence on my door for me. He could pull those nails out no problem. The only thing that wouldn't be able to was erase the slur written across the top. That would have to come later.

I was just opening my mouth to speak when my front door opened and slammed into the wall of the foyer. A framed picture of Charlie and I fell to the floor, the glass encasing it shattered. Jacob, Sam and Leah walked in, trembling. I was unsure if it was due to the smell of whatever vampire had been in here earlier, or because they had some knowledge of what happened.

Jake's eyes zeroed in on me being restrained by Seth, and his lips curled up into a silent snarl. He moved quickly, vaulting over the back of the couch, and grabbed a hold of me, yanking me from Seth's death grip.

I wanted to get away from Jacob and get back to my door, if for no other reason than to block it from view, but Jake's grip was tighter than Seth's. The only room I had was for my lungs to expand, and I guessed that was only because it was necessary. I tried leaning away, not wanting to even attempt to rail against Jake. He usually allowed my movement, but I felt like I was leaning against a brick wall. There was no give. I was stuck. He leaned his head down, and rested his chin on my shoulder. His breath was hot on my cheek as he asked me what was going on. I clamped my mouth shut and shook my head.

"Come on, Bells, we can't help if you don't let us," I shook my head again. I was losing any anger I had quickly at the uncertainty of how Jacob, Sam, and Leah would react. My stomach heaved again, and my body jerked. I managed to keep breakfast down but just barely. There was no way I was going to be able to tell them what had happened.

"Seth," Sam took the pressure off of me, and placed it squarely on the youngest pack member. "Explain." Seth shifted under everyone's gaze. I could only imagine the holes being bored into him. I still didn't like the fact that soon my somewhat private pain would be pack knowledge, but I also knew that if Seth didn't speak now, he would be Alpha ordered to do so. There was no getting away from this.

Seth looked from me, to his pack mates. He took a deep breath and swallowed. "Sorry, Bella," he started. Seth looked from me, to Sam.

"I followed her to school, like normal. She was early, but it was like the entire school was there. They all had their faces in their phones, or were showing each other something. I picked out a few different conversations and most of it was things like 'that's so sad' and 'glad it wasn't me'. It was really confusing. I should have been listening for Bella, but I got caught up on what was going on around her instead." His eyes shifted to the floor.

"There was one group though, they were being really fucked up. They were saying things...'Told you the quiet ones were the closet sluts', and 'She's bald. Bet that felt nice.'

'Bet that feels as good as it looks. Heard crazy girls are the best.'"

The two other wolves I could see looked pissed, and Jake was shaking around me. Seth put a hand up to let him continue:

"I had no idea who they were talking about, I was looking at Bella and she was talking to a friend of hers. Things seemed fine, but then the girl asked Bella if she had seen it, and seemed pretty torn about showing Bella whatever it was. Bella saw whatever was on the girl's phone and just...wilted." He frowned.

I turned in Jake's arms with great effort and hid my face in Jake's chest. His hold on me had only loosened a fraction, but it was enough that I could spin in place. I couldn't look at them anymore. As much as I wanted to keep them in the dark about the photos, Seth hadn't seen what I had, and couldn't do this for me even if he wanted to.  _Better it be from me than anyone else._  I shut my eyes tight, took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

"It was pictures of that night." Jake's anger induced tremble ceased, pulled me closer and began quietly whispering apologies and words of comfort into my ear. I hadn't needed to speak the rest of it, they were the ones that had found the vampire sent in the tree the next morning. The only thing anyone was fuzzy on was  _who_  the vampire was.

"I think it was Lauren or Jessica," I sniffled. A large hand smoothed my ponytail, followed by a pair of lips that pressed against the top of my head. "This isn't something an old vampire would do...not that I know of, anyway. Its torture, but its human torture. Wouldn't be surprised if they were trying to get me to go to them..." Jake growled into my hair and pulled me closer to him. I sniffed loudly and muttered that I wasn't actually thinking about it.

"That is so fucked," Leah muttered. I turned my head in her direction and saw her running her hands through her short hair. "Chicks fucking suck, man."

"These aren't just 'chicks'," Sam grumbled, "they're first and foremost leeches."

"Since when have you known a leech to pull this type of shit," Leah rolled her eyes. "Sure they have heightened senses, and are super fast, and drink blood, but other than using their abilities to aid them in tormenting Bella, they haven't done anything very vampire-ish." She began to pace in the small foyer, looking at her feet as she walked. "There have been no disappearances here, no killings...so they're not feeding in Forks. They know when we're not watching the house, so they're scoping us out without us realizing...fuck. Are new vampires that  _smart_?"

"Maybe they're not working alone?" Seth's voice was uncharacteristically hard. "Some bloodsucker had to turn them."

"Victoria," I mumbled into Jacob's chest. It all made sense to me now. Victoria had gone through the school records to find my home in Arizona for James, so it wasn't too far of a reach that she would have spent time around there before Bella watch started at the school. It was common knowledge to anyone that had eyes or ears—Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley hated me. If Victoria really needed help bringing me down without exposing herself to the wolves, why not turn some allies that hate me as much as she does? It wasn't uncommon for Lauren to show up on a Monday bragging about her shopping sprees in Seattle. She usually took a friend, anyway. All Victoria needed to do was follow and catch them out of their room and she would have two willing accomplices.

I explained my theory to the present pack, and though it was still just theory none of them could deny that it was likely what had happened. I barely managed to keep Jake from phasing in my living room.

He had only let me go and pushed me toward Seth when his tremors got really bad. Once he had backed off to a mere tremble I stepped back forward and slid an arm around his waist.

"What cunts!" Leah's rage fueled screech drew my attention to the base of the stairs. The boys heads whipped to see what the outburst was for. I preemptively put a hand on Jake's chest before the growling even started.

"Jacob, stay calm," Sam ordered as he gently pushed past Leah and ascended the staircase. He began pulling the nails out without strain. Within a few moments the lace top fell to the floor at his feet.

Jacob walked us over to the couch, and sat down before pulling me onto his lap. His body heat was relaxing after the events of the morning. I sank against him, glad to not be able to see upstairs anymore. Jacob's shaking relaxed soon after he lost sight of my door as well.

"What do we do now?" I tilted my head up to get a read on his face.

"I don't know," distress clouded his voice. "Charlie's going to be on the warpath when he gets here."

Sam took that opportunity to drop heavily into Charlie's recliner. His hands were full of the bent nails he pulled from my door. He rested his elbows on his thighs and looked at the both of us on the couch. Sam wore that impassive expression he got when he was in Alpha mode. After a while he looked to Seth and offered him the handful of nails.

"Get rid of these," he ordered quietly. Seth simply took them and headed into the kitchen to go out the back. When the door shut behind him, Sam looked back to us and sighed.

"We need to be very careful about what we consider doing next," Sam began, "Bella is pack and it is our job to keep her safe, but she is also underage and Charlie can make hell for us if we overstep his parental rights."

"We need to tell him, Sam," Jake pulled me tighter against him to peer at his Alpha from over my shoulder. "They would  _both_  be safer if he knew, and you know it!"

Sam's head dropped. "I know, I know. Believe me, Jacob, if it were up to Billy and I, Charlie would have known as soon as you imprinted." His head rose again, and his eyes held a fierce glint. "Unfortunately the rest of the council is still wary of the fact that Bella is your imprint. As much as some of them like Charlie, they feel it would be a slap in the face to the rest of the tribe members that  _should_  know, if Charlie were to be informed before them."

"That's a moot point," I grumbled. "Those people the council speak of will never be allowed to know the secret, so no one would get upset with them if Charlie knew—they would have no fucking idea there is anything to be upset about!"

"If it's one thing the council is good at, it's covering their asses...it pisses me off that it's at the expense of my pack, and there's nothing I can do about it without serious repercussions." Jacob grumbled, but fell quiet after that.

I tilted my head as I wondered what 'repercussions' the council had that would keep the Alpha of a wolf pack in line. It would have to be something that could seriously damage a wolf...or maybe exile?  _That doesn't make sense. The pack would fracture without a leader._ I shook my head to clear the thoughts. I couldn't get stuck on that, now.

"We need to get them to change their minds," Sam sank back into the recliner. "The trick is making them think they've made the decision on their own."

"Have you ever tried to put one past my dad?" Jake snorted loudly and shook his head. "The man has a bullshit detector you wouldn't believe."

"We wouldn't have to trick Billy. I'm counting on him catching on. He's a good ally to have. He's not going to like the means to this end, but it'll just light a larger fire under the bastard's ass." Sam looked at Leah who was still hovering behind the couch. He nodded at the floor to his left, and she immediately moved and sat where he indicated. Seth came back at that time and sat next to his sister.

The Clearwaters, were looking at Sam the same way they did during a pack meeting...which I guessed this was. They were straight backed, and alert, waiting for orders.

"We need to push the bond of the imprint. Stress it as much as we can," Sam looked at the two of us on the couch. His mouth was set in a grim line, and I knew already I wouldn't like this plan. "Now, from what I know of Charlie, he's not going to want you around for a while, Jacob. That's the perfect cover stress the bond purposely without the council suspecting anything."

"So we miss each other so much that the council takes pity for the sake of true love?" Sarcasm dripped from my voice. There was no way those old assholes would give up their ancient secret just because Jacob missed me.

"No...not quite," Sam rolled his eyes at my comment. "Its more than that. There are physical complications when the imprint bond is stressed and the two are separated." His gaze shifted to Leah and he gave her an apologetic look. She simply nodded in acknowledgment and then gestured to us. "After I had harmed Emily I was so ashamed of my actions that I ran away. I ran to Canada, and stayed up there for two weeks dwelling on what I had done. I began to experience physical symptoms, during that time I thought it was because I was so stressed. It wasn't until I had gotten home and seen Emily that I made the connection. She had felt the same illness I had, but in a lesser form."

"No fucking way, Sam," Jacob went rigid under me, and I tried to move so that I could comfort him, but I was once again locked in his inescapable grasp. "There is no way I am purposely making Bella sick."

"Think about it, Jacob," Sam leaned forward to accompany the urgency in his voice. "She may get sick, yes, but it won't be nearly as bad for her. When I bring news of your illness to the council, and they see how bad  _you_  are, they're going to have to do something eventually. With as many leeches as we have running around there is no way we can lose a wolf, and they know that. They'll tell Charlie just to get Bella back in LaPush and with you. If that takes letting him in on the secret, I think they'll do it to keep you."

"You're assuming Charlie doesn't ship her off to live with her mom at the mention of a group of teenage boys that turn into giant wolves," I shivered at Jacob's bitter tone.

"I'd just come back," I tried to shrug, but my arms were trapped. "I have enough money saved for at least one ticket back to Sea-Tac. If I stay hidden on the rez long enough, he won't be able to say anything...I'm turning eighteen in September, and then he'll have no say at all."

"But until then, we'll be harboring a runaway, and I'd bet my house that Charlie would come looking here first thing when he found out you were gone," Sam retorted. "Charlie is a good father from what I've seen. His first priority is to keep Bella safe, just like ours. The hardest part of this will be convincing Charlie that she is safe with us, yes, but after that everything will be easier. We'll have the benefit to get inside information if anyone in Forks goes missing, or is killed. He'll have back up if his investigations turn out to be supernatural. Everyone wins. Most important, there will be another person looking out for Bella's safety, and since we have no standing to take her from her father, and kidnapping is  _not_  on my to-do list, we need to make do with the cards we have. However, we can stack the deck in our favor."

I nodded. Everything Sam was saying made sense to me. There was no way that I could just leave. I had a few months before that option opened up. If there was anything I could say about Charlie it would be that if the truth was staring him in the face, he accepted it. My only worry at this point in the grand scheme was how to ensure that we got to that point.

The stone I was sitting on that used to be my boyfriend was still. I couldn't even feel his chest move, and I was pressed as close to him as I could be without fusing. "Jake...breathe. This needs to happen. Charlie has to know. We'll figure it out." I felt him let out the breath he had been holding for god knows how long.

"So how do you think we should go about this? We can't just pull out and leave her unprotected." Jacob implored. "We need at least one of us with her at all times."

Sam nodded and looked to me, "will that work for you?"

"Doesn't really change from how things are now. Though, since I am going to probably be grounded until I'm thirty for sneaking Jake into my room, I probably won't be leaving the house at all." I tried to look down at my lap, but all I could see were Jake's arms wrapped around me. "I'm….I'm not going back to school. I'll finish online or something. I only have two weeks left, but I don't think I can deal with walking around knowing that the entire student body has seen me mostly naked."

"Bells, are you sure?" Jake planted a soft kiss on the side of my neck. I tried to smile at the gesture, but I'm pretty sure it came off as a grimace.

"I'm sure. The talking, the staring, the pity, the jokes...I just don't want to deal with it. I don't need that negativity on top of the stress of being hunted. I might try and go back when the new year starts and see if the masses have moved on to some new scandal." It was a long shot, but hey—a girl could dream. "Anyway, it'd make things easier for the pack. Only one place to be. No worries about me getting taken on the road, or whatever."

"Its your decision," Sam frowned. "I do agree that you staying here would make our vigil easier. I will say now, that as soon as we leave here today, I am going to order Jake to stay on the reservation. You will not see him until you are able to visit. If I don't, the imprint will pull him to you, and this plan will not work."

"If you have to," I leaned my head against Jacob's and sighed. The next few weeks were going to suck without him. Knowing one of the pack would be close by alleviated my fear of Victoria, Lauren, and Jessica, but being trapped in my home for an undetermined amount of time, with only Charlie for company was going to be hell.

"I still don't like this," Jacob sounded defeated. I felt bad knowing that as bad as I was going to feel, he would be worse off.

"I'm sorry, but I think Sam's right," I turned and kissed his cheek. "There is no way that the council will let Charlie in without this...and Charlie? He loves me—he'll do what he thinks is best, and though that will probably keep us apart for a while, it won't be forever. I'm not going anywhere, Jacob. We have the rest of our lives. A few weeks isn't going to end us."

The phone rang cutting off any response I may have gotten from Jacob. I tried to get up, but I was still locked onto Jacob's lap. "Christ, I'm just going to answer the phone," I playfully slapped his arm, trying to make light of the sense of dread that was already beginning to set in.

He let me go with a grumble. I quickly made my way to the kitchen and answered on the fifth ring.

"Hello?"

"Isabella!" Charlie's relieved voice boomed through the receiver. I pulled the handset away from my head and winced.

"Yeah?" I spoke loud so that he could hear me through the extra distance.

"Are you okay? I got a call from the school. They told me they had confiscated several phones and there were compromising pictures of you..." I swallowed quietly.  _Well that didn't take long_. It couldn't have been later than second period at this point.

"Yeah...Angela showed me before school. That's why I left," I began to feel teary again. I sniffed and tried to fight the urge to cry. I hated crying.

"Stay there. I'll be home in five."  _Crap_. Charlie had broken out the 'dad voice'.

"Okay, dad. See you soon." I hung up and side stepped so that the others in the living room could see me in the archway. I knew that they had heard the conversation clearly, so that saved time from having to explain anything.

I saw the back of Sam's head shift as he turned to the two on the floor. In unison the Clearwaters rose and gave me small hopeful smiles.

"See you soon, Bella," Seth gave me a tiny wave.

"Buck the fuck up, and be the hard ass I know you are, Bella. You'll get through this." Leah turned and headed for the front door with Seth close behind.

"Thanks, guys," I called out as the door shut behind them.

Sam had risen and was standing close to the front window. I couldn't tell if he was watching the Clearwaters walk away, or if he wanted to be in the best position to hear Charlie arrive.

Jake watched me sullenly from the couch. I couldn't remember the last time I had seen him look so upset. I held my hand out for him to come to me, and he silently rose and crossed the space in a few large strides. He gathered me into his arms and walked us into the kitchen and further from the presence of his Alpha. Jacob lifted me a bit more before placing me on a clear parcel of counter. His hands slid from my waist to rest on top of my legs. I was expecting for him to lean in and kiss me, but he just stood there and studied me.

"Jake?" I tilted my head at his inspection. The forlorn look in his eyes was heartbreaking, and I became unsure about wanting to know what he was thinking. Chances were, he was jumping to the worst case scenario. I had to admit that the amount of unknown outcomes associated with this plan had me worried. There was a chance, and I wasn't sure how small, that the council would refuse to reveal the truth to Charlie. Maybe I wouldn't be allowed to see Jacob until I turned eighteen. Could we last over three months without each other if Sam was correct about the both of us getting sick? What if Charlie after being told the truth about the wolves was insistent on keeping me away from them? Would Charlie go as far as to pull a gun on the pack?

I had to force myself to stop going down that path. Dwelling on the 'what ifs' wasn't going to do anything but make our separation worse. I needed to focus on what to do to  _make_  this work in our favor. I was the only one of the both of us that was in the position to do so, and Jacob needed me to make sure I would be able to come to him as soon as possible.

Jacob's expression hadn't changed the entire time I had been thinking. I brought one of my hands to his shoulder and pulled him closer. My other arm wound around his neck and I nestled my head under his chin. "You need to quit looking at me like that, Jake."

"Like what?" His chin tickled my scalp as it moved.

"Like you're never going to see me again. I won't let that happen. Worst case, I'll be in LaPush on my eighteenth birthday, and we'll both get a present." I grinned against his collarbone.

He chuckled softly. "Oh really, and what's that?"

"Well, I'll be moving in, for one. We can have the ceremony...start work on getting our own place?" I closed my eyes and pictured one of the little cottages that were common on the reservation. They were small, worn, and completely perfect. One day in the not too distant future, no matter what, one of them would be ours.

"Promise?" Jake's scratchy gruff voice couldn't hide the insecurity laced in the question.

I never got the chance to respond. Two muffled howls rang out through the neighborhood. I was getting better at estimating distance when it came to the pack's howling, at the reservation. It was easy when the only thing to block the sound were trees and the occasional house. Though Forks was a small town, it had more infrastructure than LaPush. There were more walls to block and redirect the sound.

Jake pulled back from me and moved to stand in the archway that divided the kitchen and living room. He was on guard as he looked to Sam for instruction.

"They got one," Sam called out from the other room.

I nearly face planted as I scrambled to get off of the counter. This was the best news that the pack had gotten in months. I hoped it was Victoria, but would take any of the three at this point. I caught myself with my hands and righted myself.

"Do you know which one?" I yelled as I came to stand next to Jake. I peered around the side of the arch, trying to spot Sam. I could barely see the front door from here. All I could tell was that it was open.

"No...but I can smell blood. Lots of it," I frowned. I wished he would have expanded on whether it was wolf blood or not.  _Can they even tell that?_  Now didn't seem like the appropriate time to ask.

Jacob inhaled deeply next to me. I distinctly heard the intake of air turn into a growl. "Get in your truck," he grabbed my wrist and began leading me forcefully toward the front door.

"What's going on?" I kept watch on my feet as I followed him through the house and out the door. Once I was safely off the porch, I looked up to see Sam standing in the bed of my truck, his hands braced on the top of the cab.

"We need to go to Leah and Seth," Sam urged and slammed an open hand on the roof of my truck a couple of times. The sound was jarring and spurred me to pick up my pace.

"I'll drive," Jacob let go of me and opened the driver's side door. I crawled across the bench seat to the other side, and before I could become properly oriented, Jacob had already gotten in and started the truck.

The truck roared as he backed up quickly, and I felt it stutter as he nearly stalled her while switching gears. One of them must be badly injured if he was so frazzled that he forgot how to properly drive stick.

"Jacob!" Sam roared over the engine, and we lurched forward down the residential street. The scenery outside was a blur as we sped past. I was glad that any young kids that could potentially be outside playing were safely in school, because even with Jake's reflexes this car was hard to slow down once it found momentum.

My house was deep in the neighborhood, and we still made it to the highway in less than half the time it would take if Jake had been driving like a sane person. We turned toward the edge of town towards LaPush and in the distance I could see a flume of dark smoke rising from deep in the woods.

"Is that where we're headed," I briefly glimpsed at Jacob. His eyes were narrowed, and his mouth was a tight line. He just nodded, and the car bobbed forward as he pressed the gas pedal down further. From my vantage point I could see the car had hit its maximum speed.

My stomach began to flip.  _Lots of blood? Who was hurt?_  I wrapped my arms around my stomach and hoped the pressure would alleviate some of my nausea. I was hoping that the 'lots of blood' was due to the wolves being massive and therefore having more blood than the average being. If I was lucky, maybe I could help Leah or Seth with whatever injury they had.  _But by the time we get there, won't they have healed?_  Now I was confused. The only injury I knew of that a wolf couldn't heal from immediately was a bite, and the chances of one of them having chunks missing like Jake did were slim.  _But still possible_.

I sighed in frustration and leaned forward. The trees had cut off my view of the smoke, now. We were close. The car screeched and I felt myself being pulled forward as Jake smashed on the brakes. I braced myself on the dashboard so my teeth wouldn't get knocked out. I realized why just a few seconds later. There was a break in the trees a short distance ahead signaling the road to LaPush, and Jake was going to take that turn doing forty-five miles per hour.

"Jake, no!" I yelled. Even with the decrease in speed we were going way too fast to take that turn. Maybe the Rabbit could handle it. Maybe. My truck, however, was top heavy and a sharp turn at such speeds would most likely end in a roll over.

My hands pressed even harder against the dash as the truck slowed again. The pressure was there longer this time, and by the time we were about to take the corner, I felt my chances of surviving the turn had greatly improved.

As soon as we turned onto the heavily wooded road, I spotted Leah's wolf about half a football field away right before a curve in the path. She backed up a few paces before she turned and headed around the bend. Her movements were fluid, and I saw no red on her. She wasn't carrying herself the way Jake had when he was hurt. That would leave Seth, but even that didn't make sense. If he was so bad that Jacob would risk flipping the truck to get here, Leah wouldn't have been standing in the road waiting for us. She would have been at his side.

We made it around the corner and the reason why we were in such a hurry hit me in full force. Charlie's mangled police cruiser was blocking the road before us, a thick black smoke rose from the gaps of the crumpled hood. The car was bent so badly that there was only a couple of feet between the headlight and the tail light on the driver's side. If I hadn't known any better it would have seemed like he had power slid into a tree and wrapped the car around it.

"Dad," I shrieked as I flung my door open. My terror made me move so quick I was out of the cab and range of the door before it bounced back closing itself. I sprinted toward the wreckage to the gaping hole where my father's door should have been. He was half out of the car, his head and shoulders resting on the dirt. One leg was strewn out over the driver's seat, while the other was in the footwell below. His lower half was covered in shattered glass from the windshield.

I then understood what the 'lots of blood' comment was referring to. Red sticky fluff poked out of four long gashes in his jacket. The gold badge that was sewn over his heart was ripped in two. The rain resistant material was shiny with unabsorbed blood that was beginning to pool around his head as it ran down his body.

_Oh god_. I stopped a few feet away and heaved as my stomach rejected my breakfast. It made a wet sound when it hit the ground, and the noise just made me retch again.  _I thought I was better with blood._  I groaned and sank to my knees. This was the absolute worst time for this. I needed to be strong, and do what I could for my father.

A shadow fell over me, and a large warm hand rubbed my upper back. I didn't need to look to know it was Jacob. I stayed where I was and kept my eyes on the ground. My thinking was becoming fuzzy and I was worried about how long I would be able to keep conscious.

"Sam," Seth's voice drew my attention from the ground to the treeline behind me. I whipped my head around to see Seth emerge from the brush, his hands covered in red.  _Big mistake!_  I turned back to the ground before me, and shut my eyes. I willed my breathing to become more even, and tried to find my center.

"Seth. Is it burnt enough?" Sam wasn't that far away from me, and the clarity of his voice seemed to bring me back to myself a bit.

"Well the parts aren't trying to crawl out of the fire," the young wolf replied. "We do have a problem, though." I didn't need to see Sam's face to know that he was giving Seth the stare down. "Charlie saw me phase back. I don't know what happened. I got so scared when I saw all the blood that I just phased and tried to help him!"

"Shit," Sam cursed.  _Really?_  My eyes squeezed harder together as anger washed over me.  _Now is not the time._

"The fuck? Now is not the time to worry about what he saw. It doesn't matter what he saw if he dies," the panic and anger that coursed through me drowned out my nausea and trepidation about looking anywhere but the ground. I rose and gave myself a minute to look over the scene. We were too far from Forks or LaPush to go and get help on foot. He needed an ambulance now.

A crackle came from inside the car, and a muffled voice followed through the static.  _Dispatch!_  I moved further from the others and carefully made my way around the blood, and my father's body. I knew from the copious amounts of time I had been in the cruiser that the handset for the radio was attached to the center console.

The voice on the other end of the radio was repeatedly asking my father to respond as I braced myself against the twisted frame of the car and reached into the front seat to feel for the radio. I fumbled to get past the steering wheel for longer than I liked. The dispatch officer had called in three times by the time I had leaned further down and continued my search from under the steering wheel.

I winced a couple times as my arm knocked into Charlie's knee. I hoped that I hadn't accidentally just nudged my father's dead body.  _He has to be okay_ , I bit my lip and strained further as I patted along the dashboard of the car.  _Little rounded box about the size of my palm._

Jackpot. After figuring out how to remove it from its holder, I pulled my arm back and watched as the stretchy spiraled cord followed me out of the car.

"Chief," the little box blared from my hand, "never received your call. Come in, over."

I swallowed and firmly pressed the little button on the side of the handset until it was flush with the plastic surrounding it. "Dad—Chief Swan has been in an accident. He is unresponsive, and needs an ambulance...over." I let go of the button and mentally thanked my mom for having a love affair with crime dramas.

"Bella?" The box crackled, "Shit—okay, where are you? Are you hurt, too?"  _No 'over'? Apparently protocol was out the window as soon as the Chief went unconscious._

"I'm fine. We're off the highway. Have them take the turn to LaPush. We are just around the first bend in the road. He's bleeding badly! They have to hurry!" I released pressure on the button and waited for a response. I knew he had to relay the information, but without the voice on the other end of the line keeping me stationery, my instinct to back away from the bloody scene next to me began to get overwhelming.

"Ambulance has been dispatched, Bella. They'll be there soon. I need you to tell me what his injuries are so the paramedics will be prepared when they arrive. Can you do that?"

"Yeah," I bit my lip and looked down at Charlie. I fought off a fresh wave of nausea while I scanned his body for something visibly wrong other than the slashes across his chest. The only thing I could find was a welt on the left side of his head. "There is a welt on his head, and it looks like he was mauled by an animal."

A clearing throat a few feet away took my attention from Charlie. Sam looked incredulous. He shook his head sharply and mimed for me to keep my mouth shut. I let go of the button, glaring, and pointed at him with my free hand.

"We need a story, Sam. I'm just going with the old stand by." The older man threw up his arms in frustration, turned, and headed into the trees.

"An animal," the dispatcher sounded dismayed. The last year when people started turning up dead, everyone believed it was a giant bear that was attacking hikers. The Cullens and I came to find out it was Victoria's coven. When the deaths around town stopped, the Cullens actually found a large bear and gave Charlie and his hunters the general area to look in. The bear was killed for crimes it didn't commit and everyone was happy.

"I think it's another bear."

"Shit," the dispatcher groaned. "How bad?"

"His jacket is torn, and there's a lot of blood. It looks like the thing tore off his car door and pulled him out. Got him across his chest."

The faint wail of an ambulance siren broke the relative silence of the forest. My shoulders slumped in relief. I contacted the dispatcher once more and told him I could hear the sirens, and that I needed to get out of the way. I tossed the radio back into the car and watched it as it hit the passenger seat before it bounded to the floor.

I carefully backtracked to where Jake was standing, and managed to keep myself from getting any of his blood on me. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, never taking his eyes from Charlie.

"You did good, Bells," he said quietly.

"Sam didn't think so," I muttered back.

"Yeah, well Sam didn't get to the radio first," he chuckled darkly.

"Last time there were vampire attacks, they blamed a bear. Could be possible there are multiple bloodthirsty bears." I had to raise my voice over the siren baring down on our location.

I saw Jake's head bob in agreement at my summation. "Leah, Seth," Jacob turned to the she wolf and her blood covered brother. "Go. I'll stay with Bella. We don't want to give different stories, and it'll be hard to explain how we all got here before the paramedics." Leah's wolf huffed and nodded, and Seth just gave me a sad smile before following his sister into the trees. Jake squeezed me closer to him and bent so that his lips brushed my ear as he spoke. "I was at your house and we were headed to see our friends to get your mind off of things. We found Charlie like this, you radioed in. That's it."

"Sure sure," that was easy enough to remember. It was simple and had elements of the truth. I could work with that easily.

The ambulance pulled up behind us as we finished speaking. We both stepped back out of the road to give the paramedics space to move. From near the trees I could see a couple of police cars stop behind the ambulance on either side of the road.

The paramedics moved quickly to charlie with bags and a gurney. They began gently poking, prodding, and checking for a pulse. One of them found it and began yelling for the others to get him moving. Within a matter of a few minutes Charlie was hauled onto the gurney wearing a neck brace and a sheet that was quickly becoming stained with his blood.

The entire time I watched the paramedics work, I was being questioned by Charlie's deputies. I gave them the story Jacob had fed to me moments before their arrival, and with the exception of clarifying  _why_  I was skipping school and needed to see friends, they didn't ask questions.

"Can we get to the hospital," I wanted to get away from the pool of Charlie's blood before my resolve failed. I could feel myself beginning to crack under the stress of the situation. Now that Charlie was safe, my need to be strong to help him was gone.

The deputy nodded and then reminded us to observe the speed limit on the way. Jacob said he would, and pulled me off to my truck.

We didn't speak until we were back on the highway. I was sitting in the middle of the bench seat leaning heavily on Jacob's shoulder. I had become extremely tired after I had the chance to sit for a minute. The lack of adrenaline, and puking up the only food I had was starting to do me in.

"Bells, we need to make sure we're there when Charlie wakes up." I nodded against his shoulder and 'hmm'd in response. "You have to tell him he's alright and explain things before he starts spouting off about giant wolves. Chances are the doctors will think its just the pain meds, but we need to do as much damage control as possible."

"Kay," my eyes drooped. I needed to get as much rest as I could if I was going to be chained to Charlie's bedside for god knows how long.

.

..

.

_Damnit! That bitch is like teflon!_

Why did it have to be all about her? She's not all that pretty, for one. She's tragically pale, her hair has no volume, and she never puts any effort into her face or her clothes. She wears the same dumpy sweaters and jackets, and everyone fawns over her because they hadn't grown up with her.

Sure, she's smart. Okay, fine. Whatever. So she reads? Big deal. Anyone can pick up a book and pretend they're better than everybody else. Sad part is she seemed to believe her own hype along with the rest of Forks. What is  _she_  doing? How is  _she_  feeling? Did anyone else see how manipulative she truly is?

Bitch flutters her eyelashes and everyone with a dick in a five mile radius falls to their knees praising the lord that she gave them the time of day. Even Edward Cullen fell for it. No one else was good enough for him, but somehow  _she_  had gotten her claws into him. Karma finally came back around when he dumped her ass in the woods and skipped town with the rest of his family. She handled it horribly which finally showed everyone else how unstable and pathetic she is. People finally started seeing her for what she truly was and everyone gave her up like a bad habit.

Now she has this new ? Tall, dark, and gorgeous. Is there a rabbit's foot she has hidden somewhere under those baggy clothes? How does a girl like that get two insanely hot guys in a row? He seemed like the type that was pretty slow. Thats it. She went for hot and  _stupid_  this time. Learned her lesson from Cullen, I guess.

The boys in town. Cullen. Jacob. She had the nerve to take even more. Because of her, parents were missing their children. Those children would never get to sit down to dinner with their families, or lay in their own beds ever again. Friends that they had grown up with were wondering where they were, and if they were okay. Boyfriends were left behind without so much as a call or a text saying 'goodbye'.

They were gone because of  _her_. Her need to ruin everything had touched so many lives that she had to be taught a lesson. People have died over this girl and she carries on as if none of it matters to her. Maybe it doesn't. If she did have a heart, and she did care about the damage she caused, she didn't show it. Her, her family, and her loved ones that let her act the way she did all needed to pay.

Even that was ruined. Someone died today but it wasn't the person that  _should_  have died. No. That would have been fair. Right as justice was about to be served, one of her friends came out and ripped our executioner to pieces and left them burning in the woods. With luck, the helper will still die before he gets help. There has to be a silver lining to this turn of events.

Worst case, there will be eyes and ears on her at all times, as there have been for the past few months from what has been said. Only now, not all of her babysitters are working to keep her safe. Someone has to be on the right side of things, and that person is me.

A lot of my kind have a gift. Mine, from what I have been told, has yet to have been documented over our history. I can mask my ability to be found through any one of the senses. It only works with one sense at a time, and I need to meditate to change my focus, but once a sense has been masked it is final. I can be invisible, or make no sound, or block others ability to feel me. The one I have been using the past couple of days is the ability to block my natural smell.

Take that,  _dogs_. They rely so much on their noses to find us that they gave up trying to look at their surroundings. Last night I sat in the woods outside her house only barely covered. No one bothered to look in the freaking trees! Her window was open, and they didn't smell me so they went about their business thinking they were alone.

I had been so close this morning that I could have touched the small dog if I had wanted to. They sucked as bodyguards. They could keep that up for all I cared. I would use their blatant weakness to my advantage. I was going to stay close enough to that hospital to be able to hear every little thing that was said, no matter how long she stayed. Not like time means anything, anymore.

I would carry out my part, and be ruthless in making sure that there are no more mistakes. I checked my burn phone as I dodged the trees on the highway. I was starting to get into the town, and needed to be very careful not to be seen.  _No missed calls_.  _No missed texts._  Shit. I was told that I would be informed how the rest of the plan was coming along, but it had been days since our last contact. Was I alone? Only time would tell.

Even if everything went to hell, I would make her pay for all the pain and suffering she caused. She was a zit on the face of this earth, and she needed to be popped. Soon. I would take whatever came after without giving any of them the satisfaction of hearing me scream. They would never have that on me.

I settled finally in the woods behind the hospital closest to the long term stay rooms. I was perched on a branch half way up one of the huge trees with my eyes closed. There were so many voices and noises coming from the hospital that I was having a hard time picking out anything having to do with her helper.

After a few minutes I picked up on the sound of doctors yelling somewhere on one of the lower floors closer to me. Give me this. Hand me that. I need this. Stat. I smiled to myself hearing the tremble in the surgeon's voice. They were scared he was going to die. Good. My morning was getting better already.


End file.
